


imprints

by tainted_quill



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Eventual Romance, Family, Friendship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-01
Updated: 2017-10-01
Packaged: 2019-01-07 13:36:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 31,957
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12233919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tainted_quill/pseuds/tainted_quill
Summary: How Jeno met Jaemin, the boy with an incandescent smile, and the events that subsequently followed.





	imprints

**Author's Note:**

> \- all of dream minus renjun are juniors  
> \- renjun is the only senior (he's accelerated)  
> \- jisung only gets mentioned once (i love him but i don't know how to add him in the fic)  
> \- jungcas is included  
> \- along with other idols  
> \- jaeyong is mentioned  
> \- some swearing  
> \- no use of korean/chinese honorifics  
> \- lastly, prepare for a long ass ride

 

It wasn’t the first time Jeno saw him.

The familiarity of his chocolate brown hair and sparkling eyes… the perfect nose, full lips that smile an incandescent smile and soft, pink cheeks all triggered some distant memory that he couldn’t seem to grasp. It floated at the back of his mind like a butterfly, just barely eluded his fingertips, and it was enough to make the point between his eyebrows start to ache. He couldn’t remember where he saw him. It didn’t matter, but there was that nagging feeling at the back of his mind that felt like an itch he couldn’t get rid of until it was scratched.

Jeno shook his head to dispel his thoughts and strode purposefully toward the boy’s table. Once he stopped in front of him, he indicated the empty chair across with a tilt of his head, and with the other’s affirmative smile, he deposited his books onto the table top and dropped into the vacant seat.

He sighed.

Thursdays were never this packed.

Why was the library such a coveted spot _now_? Teachers were sending home assignments and projects, sure, but nobody ever did their homework two days before Christmas break, and nobody studied for tests nowadays. Finding his usual library table taken by some arrogant junior had put his temper at a high by the end of the school day. Now he had to share a _table_ with somebody?

 _Unbelievable_.

Pulling out the black pen from his pocket, he tapped it on the table once before flipping his chemistry textbook open and began to read. He didn’t understand why every chemistry teacher decided to do a four month review of the past year, but he wasn’t complaining. The material was simple, even a slug could understand it. He skimmed trough the thirty pages with ease and leaned back with an exhale.

Jeno wondered what he could do for the next hour until his younger sister’s dance class ended when there was a soft giggle from the brunet. He immediately jerked up to meet the other’s amused expression, resisting the urge to roll his eyes.

_Great…_

Of course the only open seat at the library was beside one of those annoying, giggly fan-boys.

The boy looked down with a barely-there smirk on his lips. “The library assistant keeps staring at you.” His voice was soft with a sharp edge of amusement, and it took Jeno a second to realize he was talking to him.

He furrowed his brows. “Excuse me?”

The brunet looked up and glanced slyly to the left before scratching his neck with the end of his pencil. “Over by the check-out counter,” He murmured with a laugh in his throat. His attempt at being subtle was poor at best. “In the green vest. I swear, ever ten seconds at least. It’s distracting me.”

He wasn’t unfamiliar with attention but curiosity won out and he leaned back into his chair in a faux-stretch to look over. He wasn’t looking at him, but Jeno recognized Huang Renjun. He leaned back over the table to scoff. “He used to have a club dedicated to me.”

At this, the other snorted and raised a dubious eyebrow, clearly disbelieving. When he leaned over to speak, Jeno was briefly distracted by how long his eyelashes were. “I may not be smart, but I’m not stupid either,” He said dryly, flicking through the pages of his math book. Jeno noticed the boy was doing math two levels lower than his. _Must be a sophomore_ … He thought. _He looks young enough_. “But go ahead… what was the club about? Are you Mr. Student Council’s President? The resident jock? Or maybe you’re some hotshot musical star in the school?”

_He’s never seen me before?_

Seoul Academy wasn’t _that_ big.

He hid his surprise well, but his lack of response made the brunet look up with a curious look in his eyes. “What?” The boy asked, half distracted with his work. “I’m right, aren’t I? Still so weird, though. What goes on in a club like that anyway? Is it like worship or something? Or do they do your campaign work like Ms. Universe?” Before Jeno could answer, the brunet leaned back thoughtfully. “There was a guy in my old school named Kim Seokwoo who had a club because he was apparently this amazing singer so they kind of screamed and made posters and stuff. So when he sang around our town or ended up getting a gig up here in Seoul, the club would follow him around.” He twirled his pencil around his finger before he looked over at Jeno again. “Honestly, though, he gave me the heebie jeebies. He looked kind of obsessive. I wouldn’t be surprised if he had a shrine of roosters in his bedroom.”

He looked completely serious.

Jeno didn’t know what to make of him. _A shrine of roosters? Who is this boy?_

It surprised the raven when he felt a laugh in his throat. “You’re new here,” He answered instead, watching as the boy flicked his bangs out of his eyes with his pencil.

Then he tapped the pencil against his bottom lip. “Nope, not really. I’ve been here since the end of September.”

“You’ve been here for almost two months,” Jeno said lowly, realizing they’d been talking rather indulgently in the library. “That would constitute you being new here.”

He smiled with a shrug. “It’s a matter of perception. I’m new compared to you, but I’m not as new as Yoo Seonho.”

Jeno frowned. “Who?”

“Exactly.” The boy shook his head with a grin, smiling in a way that made Jeno think he was telling a joke in his head. He closed his math book lightly before he folded his arms on the table top and peered at the raven with an easy grin. He stuck his hand out after a moment. “I’m Na Jaemin… in eleventh grade.”

 _He’s the same year level as me_.

Jeno looked at the other’s hand and frowned. Who did that nowadays anyway? But he took it and marveled quietly about how soft the hand was and how it fit perfectly with his. It took a moment for his brain to catch up to him, but once it had, the words were out of his mouth before he could think about it. “You’re doing tenth grade math.”

Jaemin’s mouth dropped open and a flush inched up his cheeks before he cried defensively, “Hey! Don’t go all _holier-than-thou_ on me! Math isn’t my strongest subject! I’m sure _you’ve_ got something you’re bad at too!”

There were hisses from around the library and the boy immediately ducked down like he was trying to become one with the table. Jeno looked at him in amusement and he returned the look with an almighty glare. “We have to be quiet,” The brunet whispered, eyes wide with embarrassment.

Jeno looked at him calmly. “No duh, Sherlock.”

Jaemin scowled at the raven with eyes burning like fire. He looked around before he turned back to Jeno with determination. In a soft, quiet voice, he muttered, “You’re not very polite are you?”

The smirk came easily. “You’re not very bright, are you?”

The younger leaned back with his jaw clenched before he flipped open his book with an exaggerated motion and pretended to concentrate intensively on his math. He didn’t fool anyone and it wasn’t long until he peeked up at Jeno and scowled. “Don’t you have some work you have to do?” He grated in a whisper.

“Unlike you, I’m doing well in school.”

“So you’re a keener,” Jaemin’s brown eyes twinkled. He leaned onto the table and smirked. “Does that bad attitude drive away all of your friends? Do you just like to hang out at the library for fun?” He tilted his head to the side, a charming grin still on his face. “I guess I can kind of see that. Do you have some glasses? Maybe a handkerchief in your pocket? I think that would complete the nerd look better. You’d make a wonderful Harry Potter.”

Jeno’s temper flared at that and his solemn expression cracked into a grin. “I’m sorry, did I hurt your feelings? Would you rather be Neville Longbottom?” Jaemin’s eyes widened for a fraction before he looked at him earnestly, leaning forward with wide eyes. “Please tell me you’ve read the Harry Potter books. Because if you haven’t, not only would you have no idea as to what I’m talking about, but I would have to demote you from almost-acquaintance to forever-stranger.”

Jeno’s lips curved upwards into a wry smile. “Are you usually this hyper?”

Jaemin looked down and bit on his lip. It surprised the raven with how shy the boy just turned. One minute he was spouting insults at him, and the next he was as shy as a kitten. The brunet blinked up at him and murmured apologetically, “I’m usually not like this. I didn’t have time to pack a healthy lunch and probably ate five chocolate granola bars between classes.”

Whatever Jeno had expected, it was _not_ that.

The laugh stuck in his throat escaped and the brunet reddened heatedly. “Hey! It’s true! Don’t laugh at me!”

Jeno pressed a hand to his eyes to block the image of the other so clearly flustered and calmed his heartbeat, waiting as the chuckles died in his stomach. This boy was just too funny. With a smirk on his lips, he glanced back up at Jaemin, only to find he was waiting with an eyebrow ached, unimpressed. “Are you done?” He had a laugh in his voice but his expression was completely straight.

The older nodded faux-solemnly and Jaemin rolled his eyes. He muttered something under his breath before looking up at him once again; face bright as though nothing happened. “What grade are you in?”

Jeno debated whether or not he would deem that with a response, but the curious glint in the other’s eyes made the answer tumble from his lips without permission from his brain. “Eleventh grade.”

He didn’t have time to dwell on his mouth’s disobedience because a second later, the brunet popped up from his chair and moved jerkily to pull his phone out of his pocket. He winced before he quickly started to gather his things and put them in his bag. Reflexively, Jeno did the same.

“Sorry, got to run,” Jaemin whispered, holding his battered phone up with a dopey grin. “Nice talking to you!”

The other was gone before he could understand what had happened. By the time Jeno realized his books were under his arm, ready to go, and that almost an hour had passed since he started talking to the brunet, a thought hit him.

_He still doesn’t know my name._

 

* * *

 

Jaemin was in none of his classes.

It didn’t take long to figure out. At first, he merely thought he spaced out and ignored the introduction of the new kid, but after one week passed and he didn’t see Jaemin in any of his classes, it was the only logical conclusion. He thought it was strange for a day or two until he remembered the boy wasn’t exactly the sharpest tool in the shed. Really, the brunet was doing math two levels lower than he should whereas Jeno was mostly doing advanced placement classes.

He’d promptly forgotten all about the other boy until December rolled around the corner.

The school was beginning its festive season. Usually, this meant incredibly cheerful teachers, a lot of homework, a school dance, a fundraiser, and a Christmas themed pep rally before the start of Christmas break. This meant he wasn’t going to be in a good mood until school was out for the winter. Dear god, the cheer and the smiles around this place were going to make him puke in his mouth. Twice.

“Did somebody kick you where the sun doesn’t shine?”

Jeno looked up from the book he was reading, twirled his lighter around his fingers, and arched an eyebrow at Chenle. “Hardly.” He drawled, closing his book completely once the whole gang came to sit at their customary cafeteria table. “But it’s that time of the year again.”

Mark flicked the bottle cap to his soda across the table to the frowning raven and chuckled. “I don’t know why you don’t like Christmas so much. What are you? The Grinch?” Jeno merely darted him a look to which Mark snorted. “Don’t pretend to be such a badass when I know you love Lami and your dad. Christmas is a time when you can hang out with them and all your friends. It’s an excuse to get away from school. What are you so moody about?”

“He’s moody because everybody’s so happy.” Chenle piped in, taking a bite out of his morning muffin. “It wouldn’t kill you to smile once in a while. With Lami out of the hospital this year, you’ve got an extra thing to celebrate.”

Mark nodded. Jeno sighed, flicking the bottle cap back to its owner.

He honestly didn’t know why he was always caught in a bad mood once Christmas season rolled around. Perhaps it was the increase in attention. Single girls and boys had a tendency to be extremely clingy and desperate come December and that just meant any other single guy or girl in the area had to be on their guard. It had been better recently… better than previous years when Renjun’s little fan club had still been in effect but despite the disbanding of the club, he was still hassled by more girls _and_ boys than was normal.

It was a well-known fact: he was not much of a conversationalist… and he resolved conflict one out of two ways. He either used violence of stinging words. One thing many didn’t know about him was he hated seeing people cry. This meant not only could he not ward off attention using his two solutions of conflict, but this usually resulted in an extremely irritated boy that had a tendency to burn things.

Or… it could be because everything just seemed a little different since his mother died.

Jeno fiddled with his lighter once more before Mark flicked the bottle cap up into the air. He caught it with an easy swipe before the bell rang.

 

* * *

 

 

The smell of flowers was pungent all around him as he stepped into the flower shop.

Once a month, on the fourth, Jeno bought fresh flowers and brought them to his mother.

There was a little flower shop he had a habit of going to and he had made a beeline for it the moment he had dropped Lami off from school. Before he could even register what kind of flowers were on display in the center of the store, a voice called out to him. “Kid!” He turned in time to see an old man disappear through the doors at the back of the store. He couldn’t help it. He grinned at the familiarity.

Jeno didn’t like old people. They were either cranky or too noisy. But the owners of the flower shop by the Seoul Cemetery, Mr. and Mrs. Kim, were just about the only old folks he could deal with. After he had come into the shop four times the month his mother had died, with his father in tow, Mrs. Kim had helped him in finding the perfect flowers for his mother and had given him a discount on every bouquet, sometimes even giving them to him for free. When he was thirteen, he started coming to visit his mom by himself.

They were a sweet old couple, Jeno thought.

The old man bustled out from the back room with a bouquet of purple hyacinths, bellflowers, and orchids. He grinned and there were laugh lines all over his face. “Got your order right here, son.” Mr. Kim said, laying the bouquet on the counter. “My wife put it all together yesterday before closing, but she was a little sick this morning. Told you she’d see you next month for sure and to drop by anytime you want for some cookies.” He chuckled. It was a deep belly-shaking laugh and Jeno moved forward, grabbing his wallet from his back pocket.

“Thanks, Mr. Kim.” He said. “How are you?”

“Good, fine,” Mr. Kim answered, shaking his head when his sharp eyes zeroed in on the raven’s wallet. He pushed it away with a grin. “Don’t you dare, kid. This one’s on the house. It’s Christmas time! Tell your mother old Kim says hello, hmm?” Mr. Kim’s brown eyes looked past Jeno’s shoulder and he shooed him away after placing the bouquet in the younger’s arms. “Now run along, kid. There are some customers behind you. Make sure you come by to say ‘hi’ to my wife, hmm? She loves you. Sneaky kid.”

Jeno shook his head with a grin. “Sure, Mr. Kim. Take care of yourself.”

The old man merely waved him off and with a slight bow, he was gone.

 

* * *

 

 

What he wasn’t expecting was to be walking behind Na Jaemin. The other was walking briskly quite a ways in front of him, but he could recognize that shade of brown hair anywhere. He disappeared down a side street and Jeno thought about it for two seconds before jogging to catch up with him. He wasn’t _following_ the other per se… Jeno was simply walking in the same direction he was.

Jeno didn’t think about calling out to him. The boy was going his own way and it had nothing to do with him. He also didn’t want to have to explain what he was doing with a large bouquet of purple flowers right after school. That, and nobody but Lami and Mark knew where he went on the fourth of each month. He didn’t want just anybody to know about his monthly ritual.

It was out of his hands, however, when they made it to the cemetery.

The brunet was bent down on his knees, kneeling in front of a large grey tombstone. Without a word, Jeno walked past him toward his mother’s headstone. He brushed away the fallen leaves and dirt before he set the bouquet down carefully. Usually, Jeno talked to her aloud, but with Jaemin just a dozen meters away, he opted to talk to his mother in his head.

That didn’t stop the other from speaking, though. Jaemin’s voice was soft, like he was trying to be quiet, but there was only the two of them and with the dry, crisp winter air, the sound carried easily.

“Hi mom, dad,” Jaemin whispered. Jeno paused in his thoughts to his mother when the other’s voice turned into a grumble. “It’s ridiculous how disgusting people are, huh? Throwing their Burger King wrappers on you two like that. There’s no respect at all. I know both of you always said not to let my temper turn into violence, but this is just crossing the _line_. There are garbage cans around here for a reason.”

There was a rustle and a pause.

Jeno took the moment to trace his mother’s name with one of his fingers. They slowed to a crawl to trace the Y, O, O, N, and A two more times before he crossed his legs and brushed the back of one of his hands against the bouquet of flowers.

 _Hey mom_.

He closed his eyes, imagining her smiling face, crinkly dark eyes, grinning lips, and long flowing auburn hair. The image did her no justice, and it scared him how quickly he was losing her face. _I miss you… a lot. I think about you every day. Dad still makes two cups of coffee every morning, and he set the table for four again last week. Lami is a lot better. She’s making a lot of new friends and makes me drive them over to our house after school most weeks. Fu– I mean… dang, is it annoying. Their voices are still shrill and girly. I… I miss your voice. It’s been–_

“I know I might have worried you a few weeks ago when I told you I hated it here,” Jaemin’s voice broke into his head once more. “But it’s getting better, I promise. I’ve made a few friends in class. One of them is my homeroom class president and he’s really good at math. Hopefully, I can bring up my marks soon. I’m trying really hard. I’m not going to give up. I know I sounded like how I was last month, but I’m getting used to living here… Uncle has been very nice. He comes to visit every week and he calls every day to make sure I’m okay. I guess it’s still kind of weird, though, because I feel like I’ve just been dumped onto his lap. N-not that you guys did that! I’m not– ahh , this isn’t coming out right! I guess what I’m trying to say is… I’m okay… and I miss you. I wish grandpa and grandma could be here with you guys so that I could visit them too. Do you think they’re lonely without the flowers I would leave– ”

He really shouldn’t be eavesdropping on the brunet’s conversation, Jeno realized, shifting a little on the uneven ground. He blinked back at the tombstone and tried to block out Jaemin’s voice.

_Nothing special happened last month. Christmas is coming soon. Dad made his special holiday cake a little too early, though… and it tasted differently. It was probably because you weren’t there to give your extra touch of motherly hazard to it. I miss how much you used to swear when you tried to cook, and when I came home to your laugh. This Christmas will be the twelfth without you. You’d think I’d be a little used to it by now…_

He drummed his fingers against his knee before tilting his head back to feel the sun on his face. _Do you think I should be a doctor? I wish I could have saved you. If I was a doctor, I would have tried harder to save you. I would have saved you. They didn’t try hard enough._

_I’ve been dreaming about you for a while. When I wake up and realize you’re still gone, I wish I could fall back asleep. I hope you’re doing well. Mark says hi. Maybe one day I’ll bring him here and you can meet him properly. I think you would have liked him. He’s kind of like dad. You would have hit on him, I think._

Jeno laughed quietly, pressing his hand against the cool stone. _I miss you a lot. I hope you like it up there._ He smiled slightly. _I think you’re the coolest._

 _Mr. Kim says hi and I’m sure dad will come soon to see you. I’ve got to go for now, but I’ll come down for Christmas._ He swept his fingers against her name again and swallowed. _I love you, mom._

Jeno sat there for a long moment, soaking up the warmth of the sun and feeling the tight hold his mother’s tombstone seemed to have on him. When he got to his feet, he peered over at Jaemin to see he was still chatting with his parents. The other saw him and sent a smile over without breaking from his conversation and with that, Jeno walked over. He wanted to put a hand on the boy’s shoulder or… something when he passed by, but thought better of it. Jaemin’s eyes followed him and he gave a little wave along with a bright smile.

It made his heart feel like it was suffocating in his chest… like something was squeezing it like an orange until every drop was drained.

He didn’t stop, nor did he wave back.

But he thought about Jaemin for the rest of the day.

 

* * *

 

It was a reflex reaction to be wary of Chenle’s Cheshire grins.

Jeno narrowed his eyes on clever brown ones before he snapped his lighter to life. His eyes flashed back up and his tone lowered so that none of the other guys could hear. “Spit it out. What do you want?”

Chenle’s grin merely brightened as he tossed his lunch apple between his hands. The sly edge to his eyes never wavered. “I’m friends with him.” At his blank stare, Chenle peered none too subtly over his shoulder and nodded. “Na Jaemin. I know you like him. I can talk to him if you want.”

The raven rolled his eyes.

That was the furthest thing from the truth. He didn’t know anything about Jaemin and had only ever talked to him _once_. He didn’t know the smallest thing about the boy other than his name and that his parents had passed away. If there was one thing he stood by, it was that there was no such thing as love at first sight. Lust, sure, but never love and he felt neither for Na Jaemin. Jeno may have enjoyed the one conversation they had, but one hour would not change his perspective. It was just… different to meet somebody who had suffered more loss than he had.

“I do not,” He said calmly.

The dubious look on Chenle’s face was apparent and he could feel Mark shift beside him. “Do too,” Chenle snickered with a droll tilt to his lips. “I saw you staring at him since you sat down. It’s not a bad thing. It just proves you’re not as straight as the other guys and girls think you are.”

“ _Who was he staring at?_ ” Jungwoo’s voice was obnoxiously loud.

Jeno subtly glanced around to find the majority of the cafeteria looking at him. _Jungwoo, that idiot._

His eyes moved to Jaemin to see that he was laughing about something Chanhee had said. He’d wondered who the brunet was sitting with the moment he’d entered the cafeteria, but recalled what the other had said to his parents and didn’t give it another thought. It pissed him off that Chenle had seen him staring curiously at Jaemin. He caught himself looking over to the boy’s lunch table twice, but after he tamped down the guilt, he found it intriguing to watch him.

Jaemin was probably the most expressive person he ever met.

The other smiled without restraint, laughed with his whole body and spoke with his hands when he was engrossed in the conversation. It probably didn’t make sense to anybody but Jeno… it was just a wonder Jaemin could still be like that despite how much he lost.

God knew he could never be like that.

“See? He’s still looking at him!”

Mark was gazing at the raven in amusement, one eyebrow arched. “Is there something you’d like to share with us, Jeno?”

Said boy snorted. “Hardly. I don’t even know him.”

“Let’s change that, shall we?”

Before the growl could work its way from his throat, Chenle was already out of his seat. Jeno leaned his chin against his palm, lit his lighter, and watched with irritation as the boy with lilac hair gestured to their table with a wink and offered a hand to Jaemin. Chanhee merely began walking out of the cafeteria as the both of them strode back to the table.

“Good thing I came for Jaemin or he would’ve been all by himself!” Chenle said once they were in front of the table. “The class president had to leave to finish some errands for the teachers before lunch ended.”

It felt like the group turned collectively to look at Jaemin.

His smile was shy but was so charming. “Hi!” He waved, brown eyes flitting uncertainly around the table. “I’m Na Jaemin.”

Jeno felt all the guys shift from around him, a clear pulse of amusement in the air, before they chorused loudly, “Hey, Jaemin!”

“You can sit right beside me!” Chenle offered cheerfully, pushing Lucas toward the edge of the bench with a squawk. A smile immediately pulled at the edges of Jaemin’s lips before he sat down right in front of Jeno. The raven couldn’t help the smirk that adorned his lips when he ran their only conversation in his head.

Jaemin looked at Jeno curiously. “I still don’t know what your name is.”

“Let’s start with introductions then, shall we?” His traitor best friend clapped his hands together. “My name is Lee Minhyung, but everyone calls me Mark. And he’s Lee Jeno.”

Jaemin mouthed his name like he was testing it before he smiled one of his radiant smiles at him. Jeno could feel a pulse at the back of his neck and it only began to recede when the brunet’s eyes followed each and every introduction of his friends. Brown eyes were bright and though Jeno could feel Chenle’s knowing eyes on him the whole time, he couldn’t help but continue to watch Jaemin.

_Was he just going to pretend they hadn’t seen each other at the cemetery?_

“Thank you for inviting me over! I’m still a little new to the school, and my other friends don’t exactly have the same lunch period as I do.” His eyes moved over to Chenle’s before his lips curved upwards into another smile. “That was really nice of you.”

“How do you know each other?”

Jaemin looked back at the older with a frown. “Huh?”

“What do you mean, _Jeno_? I’m friends with everyone!” Chenle slung an arm across Jaemin’s shoulders with a grin. “Unlike you, I don’t emit some sort of constipated emo aura and I don’t pretend to be a mute.”

Jaemin aimed a well-placed elbow at Chenle’s stomach and scowled. “That’s not nice. Jeno’s a very talkative person.”

The laughter around the table dimmed and Jeno could feel his eye twitch at that.

“Wait, _what_?” Lucas squawked.

“I think you’re talking about somebody else,” Jungwoo guffawed.

“Have you two met before?” Mark asked politely, eyes immediately fixed on the pretty boy.

Jaemin looked at him with an eyebrow raised, “I met Jeno last week at the library. He was a total jerk, but he was nice!” The brunet probably didn’t notice the paradox of what he just said, but Jeno’s friends didn’t seem to care. They were all looking at Jaemin like he had three heads. Jaemin merely blinked at the incredulous looks around him before a blush lit up his cheeks.

“He’s an annoying junior doing sophomore math,” Jeno drawled, watching as the indignation began to settle in the other’s face. “He likes Harry Potter and made a shrine dedicated to a rooster.”

Jaemin opened and closed his mouth twice before his whole body straightened and he began to flail. “I said I thought Kim Seokwoo might have a rooster shrine!” He declared heatedly. “Don’t put random words into my mouth! At least I didn’t talk about some random club dedicated to me!” He crossed his arms over his chest and sniffed. “You’re such an arrogant jerk!”

“Um… Jaemin?” Mark spoke up with a grin in his voice. “There actually _was_ a club named after us. It was called the Jeno-Mark fan club.” He grinned at the brunet’s slack-jawed expression and shrugged. “Weirder things have happened here at Seoul Academy, but believe me when I say it definitely existed. It’s disbanded now, though.”

Jeno smirked and Jaemin narrowed his eyes at him. “You should have just believed me,” He drawled, matter-of-factly. “I’m a man of my word.”

“I’ve been told not to believe in sleazy looking people. I’m sorry,” Jaemin almost sounded sincere.

It was a sorry comeback but the guys laughed from all around him. Mark ruffled Jaemin’s hair with a grin and even _he_ couldn’t help but smirk. “You think I look sleazy?” Jeno asked in a low voice.

Jaemin looked down and flushed, flustered, and tugged at the hem of his uniform. “I think it’s in the way you smirk. Or that gleam in your eyes. Either way, it makes me feel uneasy.”

“I love this kid!” The lilac haired boy guffawed and wrapped an arm around the Jaemin’s waist, pressing the boy to his side. “Stop creeping him out with your face, Jeno!”

The mentioned male pleasantly kicked him in the shin which made Chenle yelp and leap away from the brunet. Jaemin blinked before he narrowed his eyes back onto Jeno’s. “That wasn’t very nice!” He crossed his arms over his chest and lifted his chin up haughtily. “It’s true. You should put it away before you hurt someone.”

Jeno snorted and it was just the right catalyst for the whole table to erupt in laughter.

Jaemin grinned impishly. “Are you all juniors then?” After a moment, his eyes flickered back to Jeno and he glared. “Yes, I’m in Chenle’s math class. Don’t make fun of me because I’m not as smart as you are.”

Jeno put his hands up in surrender. “You’re jumping into conclusions, Na. I wasn’t going to imply you were an idiot at all. I mean, I didn’t tease Chenle about it when I found out he was taking math a year lower, so why would I mock you?”

Jaemin narrowed his eyes even further before looking around the table. He seemed so worked up. “Did that sound as insincere as I think it did? At least I’m not… You- you’re– ”

“I’m what?”

The brunet groaned, and there were two pink spots on both of his cheeks. “You like making me freak out, don’t you, _Lee Jeno_?” He covered his eyes with one hand and peeked out at Jeno from between his fingers. Whatever he saw made him groan again. “You can wipe off that smug look from your face.”

“Do you _like_ him, Jaemin?”

His head popped up and his eyes widened. “What? Who?”

Chenle leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “Jeno.”

Jeno rolled his eyes and threw the empty soda can by his elbow at Chenle’s head, and it bounced off with a dull clang. “Don’t be an idiot. It’s obvious he likes Chanhee.”

Jaemin’s head snapped up to attention once more before he tapped a finger to his chin in thought. “Well of course I like Chanhee! If you’re friends, you’ve got to like each other right?” He was my first friend here. Plus, he’s really nice and helpful. He even showed me around the school when nobody else would!”

 _Was he serious?_ Jeno looked over at Mark incredulously, only to find his dark eyes focused entirely on the oblivious brunet. There was a snicker from his left before Chenle barked out a laugh. He watched as a slow smile made its way on Mark’s face.

Jaemin looked around curiously and tugged at his necktie. “What? It’s true! Did you know he helps me with my math homework at lunch sometimes when he has the time? He’s very nice. Oh! Shoot! That reminds me, I need to finish my homework!”

“Just finish it when you get home,” Jungwoo prompted with a grin, putting his hands on Jaemin’s thin shoulders. “I can help you with your math after school if you want.”

Mark rolled his eyes. “Your help would probably make him flunk. Who’s your teacher, Jaemin?”

“We have Mr. Bang-Bang,” Chenle said, making a vomiting sound at the back of his throat. “I think he’s out to get him too. Mr. Bang-Bang’s always picking him in class and you know how he is when you don’t know the answer to one of his impossible questions…”

Jeno watched Jaemin bite his lower lip and could feel a sharp feeling of heat in his stomach.

He knew Mr. Bang, and the guy could be such a jerk.

“Well, thanks for letting me sit with you guys!” Jaemin said, popping up to his feet and accepting Chenle’s helping hand to take his feet out from under the table. “I’ll see you guys around! Have a nice day!”

“Bye, Jaemin,” The boys chorused, grinning as the brunet began walking toward the doors.

“Come tomorrow.”

Five pairs of eyes turned to look at Jeno incredulously. One pair sparkled as the owner gave an incandescent smile. “Thanks, Jeno! Bye guys!”

He was out of the door before Jeno’s friends could comprehend what just happened. Jeno didn’t know what happened himself. The words seemed to fester in his belly and he didn’t know he wanted the boy sitting back with them until the words left his lips.

Jeno could feel the eyes still on him and flicked up the lip of his lighter, watching as the flame swayed with the subtle change in atmosphere. Then his eyes met Mark’s. There was an unasked question in the blonde’s eyes.

“I called it,” Chenle declared, leaning forward into the table with a grin. “I _called_ it and you tried to deny it but it’s just _obvious_.” There was a pause as he let those words sink in before he continued in a sing-song voice. “Jeno likes Jaemin, Jeno likes Jaemin!”

Jeno looked at him blankly. “Of course I like Jaemin. If you’re friends, you’ve got to like each other, right? He’s my first friend here. Plus, he’s really nice and helpful. He even showed me around the school when nobody else would.” The sweet words did not mince well with the deadpan voice and dry tone.

The reaction to Chenle’s taunt had the desired effect.

Jungwoo, Lucas, and Mark laughed.

“He’s really…” Mark struggled with the word. “Jaemin’s really sweet, don’t you think? Naïve too.”

“He’s just stupid,” Jeno rolled his eyes, picturing the brunet’s bright smile and sparkling eyes. _Yeah, stupid._

The lilac haired boy looked at him knowingly. “Well, I’m glad you invited him to sit with us tomorrow. Do you see his face when you talk to him? Have you ever seen somebody _blush_ like that?”

“ _Somebody_ sounds like he has a crush,” Lucas joked and punched Chenle in the arm.

Chenle put his hands up and shook his head. “You know I’ve got the hots for– ”

“The honey haired senior,” Jungwoo rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, we know. I don’t see how when you know he had the strangest obsession with Jeno and Mark.”

“Renjun’s _over_ it. He disbanded that club for like… two years now,” Chenle said defensively. He laughed slightly before his eyes lifted to meet Jeno’s. “But yeah, Jaemin is really something else. He’s really… sweet. Yeah. Fiery too.”

Jeno couldn’t help but wonder how one person could possibly charm all of his friends in less than half an hour.

 

* * *

 

Christmas was coming up in three weeks and he still hadn’t gotten anything for his sister.

That was the only thought in Jeno’s mind while he waited for Lami in the student parking lot. School was over for the day and as always, Lami was taking her sweet time talking to her friends. He waited against his car and tossed his keys intermittently with his left hand before a flash of chestnut brown hair caught his eye.

He turned just in time to see Na Jaemin running down the sidewalk. His bangs fluttered around, and his expression was determined.

When Jeno called out to him, he almost tripped flat on his face.

The boy whirled around, walking backwards quickly, and waved to him. “Hi! I’m sorry, I really can’t talk!”

It took the Jeno a second to put words together in his head and he found himself walking up to Jaemin as the other walked away. Jaemin rose on of his eyebrows, making Jeno sigh. “What’s with the hurry?”

“I have to get to work! I’m going to be late at this rate!” Jeno didn’t bother hiding his surprise. The brunet gave an apologetic shrug. “I’ll see you tomorrow!”

His mind raced as he watched Jaemin leave. The brunet turned around and began to jog once more. “Where do you work?” Jeno called out.

Jaemin spun around to look at him, smiling. “Thai Your Shoes.”

 

* * *

 

 

Thai Your Shoes was a popular Thai restaurant in a tourist area of Seoul called Myeongdong.

Jeno had no idea why the word ‘shoes’ was in the name, but the owners of the restaurant probably tried their hand at being clever with homophonic words. It was a sad attempt, to say the least, but the popularity of the restaurant and the mouth-watering dishes spoke for itself. Everybody he knew heard and dined at Thai Your Shoes so it didn’t take much prompting to persuade his father to take them there for dinner.

… Especially when he offered to pay.

His father had been surprised, but other than a curious look, he hadn’t asked any questions and Jeno had been thankful.

But that didn’t stop Lami.

“So what’s the occasion, Jeno?” Lami asked cheerfully, barely keeping pace with him and his long strides. “It’s not every day dad tells me you offered to pay for dinner as long as we go _here_. What’s so special about today?”

Jeno turned to their father and rolled his eyes at the cheeky grin directed at him. “Does a nice gesture from your brother, and your son, need to have some hidden motive?” He asked coolly, continuing toward the restaurant. “I didn’t say we had to go here specifically,” he continued in a grumble. “But if I’m paying, I might as well have the choice of place.”

Myeongdong was always packed, and that meant parking spots were almost completely taken or hidden. Jeno cursed the long walk toward the restaurant which gave his family ample opportunity to ask their questions.

He was already regretting the split second decision to come there for dinner… especially when Lami decided to go into detective mode.

“I smell a rat,” Lami said in a sing-song voice, curling an arm around her brother’s. “I know you like the back of my hand, Jeno. I _will_ figure out what you’ve got hiding up your sleeve.” She grinned slyly, before latching onto their father’s arm. “Catch up, dad! You’re falling behind!”

“All right, that’s enough Lami.” Their father’s voice was calm and soothing.

Thank god. His was finally stepping in.

Jeno looked at his father and gave him a nod of thanks to which he replied with a shrug. Then his eyes pinned Lami down once more. “Stop patronizing your brother. I don’t see _you_ ever offering to pay for dinner.”

“That’s because I don’t have some kind of hidden agenda that would require me to pay for dinner,” The female raven sniffed haughtily, grinning at him from underneath her eyelashes. Jeno glared at her, but she didn’t seem to notice. “Trust me, dad. A little bird told me a little something about brother here and I think we’ll find a _very_ pleasant surprise at dinner today!”

_Chenle._

_Annoying juniors who take sophomore math…_

“That’s it.” The vein at his temple pulsed and he sidestepped away from the entrance and started walking off to the restaurant next door. “We’ll eat here instead,” He said tonelessly, opening the door and looking at his sister and father expectantly.

His father frowned. “But I thought you wanted to have Thai today, son.”

Jeno’s eyes narrowed onto his sister’s identical dark ones. “The nosy brat is getting on my nerves. We’ll eat here today.”

“Very mature. Don’t be such a baby, Jeno,” Lami chirped with a sharp glint in her eyes. “You made reservations for Thai Your Shoes, and you’re damn well going to get it.” She skipped over to the entrance, wiggled her fingers to usher them over, and then disappeared within the doors.

His father looked at him in amusement before he too walked over to Thai Your Shoes. “She’s as stubborn as you are, Jeno, and you know you want to have your Thai.” His father opened the door and quirked a brow. “I’m curious to see the person that’s got you acting so out of character.”

Jeno waited for four seconds, sighed, and then stalked towards the older man. “Let’s get this over with.”

His father grinned. “So it _is_ someone?”

The raven glared and elbowed his father in the arm, rolling his eyes at the chuckle that followed. It was good to hear his father laugh, but screw it if he wanted it at his expense. When they entered, Lami was sitting quietly on one of the waiting chairs. She popped up to her feet as she caught sight of her brother, walking over with a massive smile on her face. “So… which one are we looking for?”

He ignored the wave of amusement coming off his family and looked around the restaurant, almost immediately finding Jaemin balancing a stack of plates on one arm and grabbing two cups with his free hand. His head was slightly tilted down to listen to something one of the patrons was saying. As the boy nodded, his eyes glanced up and met Jeno’s. Jaemin faltered slightly with his plates, seemed to apologize to whoever he was talking to, and sent the raven a questioning look before he headed off to the back kitchen.

It took Jaemin less than thirty seconds after that to subtly work the room and head over to where Jeno was standing with his hands in his pockets.

What the hell was he _doing_ here? Jaemin would probably think he was some kind of stalker for coming here because he knew the former would be here. He could feel the back of his neck warming and the thought made him want to run a hand through his hair.

The pretty boy stopped before him. “Hi, Jeno!” He smiled cheerfully, eyes wandering past him to look at his sister and father. “What are you doing here?”

Jeno arched an eyebrow and looked at him with amusement. “This is a restaurant. It’s dinnertime. You do the math.” He paused when the brunet’s eyes narrowed, and felt a smirk inch at the ends of his lips. “Oh, that’s right. You’re not too good at Math, are you?”

“Brother!” Lami squawked indignantly, elbowing him in the gut. “That’s not the way to talk to someone!” She turned to Jaemin and smiled one of her sweet, deadly smiles. “Hi, I’m Jeno’s sister, Lami! You’re very cute!”

Jaemin looked down with embarrassment and bit his lip.

For goodness’ sake…

He cleared his throat until the Jaemin looked up once more. “We have reservations for three. What section are you serving?”

The surprise on Jaemin’s face confused him, but the brunet quickly hid it with a sly smile. “Non-smoking section over there,” He pointed quickly. And then Jaemin looked over his shoulders, balking. “Got to run. Your hostess is coming. Later!”

He said it in such a rush, Jeno barely understood. But when the hostess went to seat them at their table, Jeno subtly asked to be seated in the non-smoking section Na Jaemin would be serving. He ignored the pointed looks he was receiving from his father and Lami. Instead, once they were seated, he reached for the menu and scanned it thoroughly. Should he be difficult or take it easy on the brunet?

In the midst of his ponderings, a voice broke through his silence.

“Hi, my name is Jung Hana, and I’ll be your server for today!”

The high-pitched voice that definitely _did not_ belong to Jaemin made Jeno’s head snap upward. The girl had long dark hair like Lami’s, and clear green eyes. She looked around at the table before her eyes landed on him. She smiled a sultry smile his way, but he merely turned and scanned the restaurant once more, eyes locking onto Jaemin’s. The brunet was watching him with a grin on his face. And when Jaemin saw Jeno looking, he waved his notepad cheekily.

 _He lied_.

Jeno should have been furious, annoyed or… _something_. But he wasn’t.

 _Cheeky boy_.

“And what would _you_ like, sir?” The server seemed to have a permanent, expectant smile on her face.

He glanced at the menu for another two seconds before deciding on the Pad Thai noodles. When the girl left and he looked up, it was only to see both his father and sister grinning at him with far too much amusement in their eyes. He could feel a migraine pulsing at his temples.

“Spit it out,” He muttered gruffly to Lami. “I know you’ve got some smart ass comment to share.”

“Jeno, don’t curse at the dinner table.” His father said pleasantly.

The aforementioned rolled his eyes and looked at his sister pointedly. The female raven merely flashed a wide grin his way. “Jaemin duped you.” At his questioning glance, she answered, “He had a nametag on his uniform. Don’t distract me with your facial expressions. Jaemin duped you! That was _so_ cool!”

“I’m glad you find this so terribly funny,” Jeno responded dryly, wiping at the condensation from his glass of water. “Why are you so excited about it?”

Lami clasped her hands together patiently and leaned forward in her seat. Her dark eyes were almost condescending. “You charm people without even trying. My friends always ask to come over because they hope to catch you with your shirt off.” Jeno didn’t know whether to sulk or balk. He did a little bit of both. “Don’t be so surprised. I don’t know _why_ , because it’s not like you’re in any sports or anything, but they think you’re hiding an amazing body underneath your well-clothed exterior.”

He sent her a dry look.

“Their words, not mine,” Lami snorted deftly, causing their father to chuckle. “My point is it’s nice to see someone who doesn’t do what you want them to. I’m sure that’s the only reason why you’re interested in him, isn’t it? You don’t like it when things come too easy.”

“You make it sound like I’m playing a game.”

“Are you?” His father asked vaguely, taking a sip from his glass of water. “Because your mother and I taught you better than that.”

Jeno sighed and stared pointedly at the duo. “You’re both jumping to conclusions. He’s friends with Chenle and he insisted that Jaemin have lunch with us today. I’ve probably spoken to him twice. Now drop the stupid topic already. It’s lovely to know you think so little of me.”

“Touch-y!” Lami said under her breath.

There was a pause before a voice cleared from behind him that immediately made his whole body stand on edge.

“Sorry for the wait,” The server said cheerfully, placing his order on the table before doing the same for his father and sister. “Please enjoy and if you need _anything_ else, just wave me over and I’ll be happy to help!”

His body was still on high alert even after the server left. _Too close_.

“Eat up, Jeno.” His father said with a grin in his voice. “You’re paying, after all. You might as well eat.” Jeno glared over at him, but the man merely continued talking. “If you want to be friends with this boy, then by all means, that’s no business of ours. _Right_ sweetie?”

The younger sibling in question mumbled something incomprehensible.

“Good. I’m glad we understand each other. Lami, stop giving your brother a hard time about whomever he likes or whatever he does.” Dark eyes looked over at him. “Jeno, eat your dinner… and don’t take your shirt off when your sister’s friends are at the house.”

His jaw almost dropped before he said defensively, “I don’t.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t.” His sister said airily. “My friends are just boy-crazy. Speaking of boys, why don’t you bring Mark over anymore? Did you guys break up?”

“Ha. Ha,” Jeno said dryly, dodging the jibe. “Mark doesn’t come over anymore because your friends practically mauled him at the door and blew our eardrums the last time. I go to his place. _He_ doesn’t have annoying little sisters to avoid.”

“That happened _once_!” Lami said indignantly. “Invite him over for dinner someday… right, dad? It’ll be fun. Like old times.”

Their father shrugged casually. “I don’t mind. He’s a nice fellow.”

Jeno watched Lami grin and he frowned. “The crush you have on Mark is making me nauseous,” He said solemnly, watching as a blush flew across her cheeks. “What happened to that punk you went on a date with last month? Bored of him already?”

“Hardly,” His sister scowled sulkily. “He never called me back. I heard some senior was giving him a hard time but when I asked him about it, he only laughed nervously and ran off. I’ve never heard from him since. Did you have something to do with that, _brother dearest_?”

 _Good job, Jungwoo_.

“Do I look like a senior to you?” He scoffed believably, looking straight into his sister’s eyes. “I don’t even know what the kid looks like.”

“Yeah, well I told you his name! That would have been enough!”

“Right,” Jeno rolled his eyes before he caught his father’s nod of approval and equally protective eyes. “Was his name Jiho?”

Lami narrowed her eyes. “Jiho is gay and in a happy relationship. It was Jinyoung.”

“Whatever. I had nothing to do with it.”

She opened her mouth to say something more, but their father’s pleasant voice cut swiftly. “Lami, stop accusing your brother and eat your dinner. No discussion.” The younger sibling sunk down in her chair sullenly, glaring at her brother from across the table.

Jeno merely smirked.

“Is everything all right here?” The server asked politely, drumming her fingers against the table top. “How are your meals?”

“Everything is _perfect_ , thank you,” Lami sat up quickly, smiling her one hundred watt smile. Her dark eyes sparkled innocently, which instantly alerted Jeno to his sister’s trouble-inducing persona. She sent him a sharp look before smiling back at the server. “Oh, your shoelaces are untied! You might want to do those up before you trip. That would be so terrible!”

“Oh! Thank you.” The girl looked down to see that her shoe was, indeed, untied, before she bent down to tie them up.

The Jung girl didn’t know what hit her.

“Lami!” Their father’s voice was of shock.

“I’m so sorry!” Lami actually sounded genuine. She popped up from her seat and picked up the now empty glass of water before she placed it back on the table. With an offer of her hand, Lami said quickly, “Let me help you clean up in the bathroom! I can’t believe I completely soaked your shirt! And it’s white too! Stupid me!”

“You have _got_ to be kidding me,” The server shrieked, shocked. “I–ugh , I’ll clean myself up, thanks.”

“Oh, but I _insist_!” Lami replied cheerily, sending Jeno a small, clever grin. “Jeno, I want the chocolate fountain cake,” She said snootily before she escorted the girl to the bathroom by the kitchen.

There was a pause at the table before his father hissed darkly, “That girl is going to be in _big_ trouble when we get home. What the hell was she thinking?!”

Jeno watched as the manager came out to tap Jaemin on the shoulder, saying a few words. It didn’t take him long to figure out just what the hell Lami thought she was doing. As he watched Jaemin walk over from the corner of his eyes, he answered his father, “It was just an accident.”

“Nonsense,” The older male laughed under his breath. “That was probably the worst acting I’ve ever seen in my life. How did she become so manipulative? She gets that from your mother, you know?” The wistful edge to his voice made Jeno look up, but before he could say anything, Jaemin arrived at their table.

His long bangs which usually covered most of his eyes were neatly kept up with a small white hairclip. He was all pale skin and cheer. His skin seemed to pulse with a brightness that belonged only to him. Jeno didn’t know how he could have ignored it the last three times they met, but Jaemin was striking. He wasn’t exotic looking or the tall Amazon beauty Jungwoo and Lucas always raved about in the sport magazines or whatever they bought from the convenience store. He was… sweet looking with his sparkling eyes, swan neck, perfect teeth, and an endearing rosy flush to his cheeks.

And even though the boy was smiling a little shy smile, it still looked… radiant. Incandescent.

“Well,” Jaemin laughed slightly, meeting his gaze. “This is awkward. Would it mean something if I said I was sorry?”

Jeno looked at him and arched an eyebrow. “It would if you actually mean it.”

“Then I shouldn’t say it.” He decided, then turned to his father and smiled sweetly. “Good evening, sir. I’ll be your server for the rest of the night. Is there anything I can get you?”

His father looked back at him for a second, then at his unfinished meal, before nodding. “I’ll have a cup of coffee, thank you.”

The brunet wrote the order swiftly onto his notepad before he turned to Jeno. “And you?”

Jaemin’s eyes were expectant, and the smirk from his earlier comment was still on his lips. Jeno leaned back easily and said, “Sir.”

“Excuse me?”

He looked at the brunet pointedly, making Jaemin roll his eyes. The boy inhaled deeply before scowling, “And would you like something else, _sir_?” He looked like he was calling Jeno a bunch of other things in his head and the thought made the latter smirk.

He lifted his glass of water to his lips. “No, thank you.”

Jaemin opened and closed his mouth before he sent Jeno a vicious glare. “Very mature, Lee,” He snorted. Then his eyes widened before he turned to Jeno’s father, hugging his notepad close to his chest. “Oh, not you Mr. Lee! Ack, I’m sorry! I’m just going to–” His eyes flashed over to the kitchen and he motioned, or more like flailed, his arms in that direction. “I’m just going to _go_. I’m sorry!”

He fled.

His father chuckled. “He’s… that was interesting.”

Jeno’s eyes followed Jaemin before said boy disappeared in the back room. “Yeah, he tends to do that. Where’s Lami?” He asked as he began eating his dinner.

He watched as his father looked off with wistful eyes before the older man shrugged and went back to his meal. “I have no idea. But you know you’re going to have to thank her for that stunt she pulled with Miss Jung Hana. Otherwise, you’d have never gotten your little friend there to serve us like you wanted from the start. Don’t think I didn’t see how much you enjoyed taunting him, son.”

Jeno shrugged noncommittally. “I thought you didn’t condone Lami’s behavior. I hardly think I should thank her for ruining some girl’s shirt.”

“The hell you don’t! Besides, I just dumped water on it. The only thing that happened was it became see-through. _She_ should be thanking _me_. I got her the rest of the night off!” Lami grumbled, dropping into her seat like the world’s weight was on her shoulders. She flashed him a cheeky grin. “So… he came over?”

He figured he owed the snot nose a nod at least.

She squealed and clapped her hands together like a child before she turned to their father with a grin. “So what did you think of him, dad? Do I need to worry or is he as cool as I hope he is?”

“Why don’t you ask your brother that question?” He said calmly, finishing up his meal. “He seems to know Jaemin far better than I do. Better yet, you can ask him yourself. Here he comes.”

Jeno ducked down when the both of them whirled around to look at Jaemin.

Jaemin paused before he placed the coffee down in front of their father. Then he looked at Lami. “Hi, I’ll be your server for the rest of the night. Is there anything I can–”

“You can sit with us!”

The brunet stepped back in shock before he shook his head. “I can’t. I’m still on the clock,” He said, gesturing to the kitchen. “Thank you, though! Do you guys want any dessert?” He was pointedly ignoring Jeno, probably still embarrassed if the blush on his face was any indication. Jeno merely watched him for a second before he spoke up.

“One chocolate fountain cake.”

His father snorted and Lami giggled quietly.

Jaemin simply raised an eyebrow and wrote it swiftly onto his notepad. “Didn’t peg you for a chocolate fountain cake kind of person,” He said with a light laugh and a derisive edge to his voice.

“It’s for me!” Lami chirped quickly. “Brother’s more of a red velvet cake kind of guy.” Jeno glared at her for sharing that piece of information. He and his mother had always loved red velvet cake best… If Lami noticed his glare, she didn’t make a show of it. Instead, she just waved him off. “When do you get off work, Jaeminie? I can call you that, right?”

“Of course!” He smiled brightly. He turned to check the clock and Jeno took the opportunity to nudge (more like kick) Lami from underneath the table. However, he hit her chair instead. She smiled wickedly before Jaemin turned around to answer, “I still have another hour left of my shift.” He shrugged apologetically and tapped his pen once against his notepad. “Did you want some dessert, Mr. Lee?”

Their father declined pleasantly and Jeno followed suit.

Jaemin looked at him with a sly grin. “You don’t want any red velvet cake, _sir_?”

He snorted. “Not tonight.”

Jaemin laughed a pleasant, ringing laugh before he turned and grinned. “Okay, I’ll come by in a bit. Enjoy!”

Finished with his dinner, Jeno pushed the plate over and placed the dining napkin on the table. Without even looking at her, he could tell Lami had a wide grin on her face. “You don’t have to look so pleased for no apparent reason.”

“I like him, Jeno,” She said. For once, she had no teasing lilt to her voice. “He seems really nice. I think you need someone nice.”

“You’ve barely spoken two words to him,” He pointed out coolly, looking from his father to his sister. “Look, this is really none of your business. Right now, we’re just two people who know each other. We’re not even friends. I’m not looking for anything. You know how I am.”

“I do know how you are, brother.” Lami pointed her fork in his direction with a firm set to her lips. “Which is why I know when you’re not acting the way you usually do. I mean, come on Jeno… When have you ever gone out of your way to pay for dinner at a certain restaurant just because some random person you know works there?” He really couldn’t explain that, but she wasn’t looking for an explanation. “All I’m saying is, you have my blessing–”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“–and I promise not to manipulate your situation unless–”

“Sweetie, you are _not_ going to butt in your brother’s–”

“–your pigheadedness prevents you from–”

“Can we stop talking about this when–”

“–don’t have to be such a baby. I’m just trying to help out with your–”

“You’re such a pain in my a–”

“Um.”

The shy, hesitant voice broke the three of them from their argument. Jeno tamped down the urge to smack himself in the face and opted to look at Jaemin unrepentantly. His eyes were wide and uncertain as he looked around the table, fingers tapping nervously on his notepad. “I–”

Lami was the first to speak. “Hi, Jaeminie! What year are you in?”

Jaemin looked at Jeno quickly and said uncertainly, “Eleventh? I’m sorry, was I interrupting a discussion? I can come back…”

“No, no,” His father said quickly, meeting his Jeno’s gaze. “You’ve got perfect timing. I would love another cup of coffee.”

“That’s interesting,” The female raven said in her sugary sweet voice, as if she wasn’t interrupted. “You’re in the same year as brother! Would you look at that? That’s perfect!”

Jaemin rubbed his arm uncertainly and tilted his head to the side in confusion. “How is that perfect?”

“Well you see–”

“It’s the perfect time to grab the tab,” Jeno interjected hastily, shooting his sister a dark look. He glanced up at the brunet, one eyebrow arched. In his patented cool, detached voice, he said, “Hop to it, Na.”

Almost immediately, the boy’s eyes narrowed, unimpressed. “Condescending little pig,” He said under his breath so that only Jeno could hear. At the latter’s smirk, Jaemin turned to their father. “I’ll come back with another coffee and the tab, then? Anything else?” He smiled wide when they all shook their heads. “All right, I’ll be right back!”

When he was out of sight, Jeno turned to Lami and glared. “I’m going to make sure you never have a boyfriend, never mind getting married, from now on.”

 

* * *

 

 

It was early the next morning when he saw Jaemin next.

He never pegged Jaemin for an early riser, but the moment said boy appeared in front of him holding a small, white box, all doubts vanished. He lowered the book he was reading and watched the other suspiciously. The boy simply grinned, pushing the box closer. “Morning, Jeno!”

“What are _you_ doing here so early?”

The brunet bit his lip, scowling. “I have to wake up early to get extra help with Math.” He stuck out his tongue to display how unhappy he was about it before he flounced to Jeno’s side and placed the box in his lap, grinning like an idiot.

“What’s this?” Jeno eyed him closely before his eyes moved back to the box. It was the right size for a small bomb.

Jaemin rolled his eyes. “Open it and see!”

“Is this some kind of offering to show your undying love for me?” He asked dryly, placing the book and on the table. He heard the younger snort. He smirked at Jaemin before he grabbed the box, flicking the small tab open.

Inside the box was a perfect slice of red velvet chocolate cake.

Jeno swallowed the small lump in his throat.

 

* * *

 

The blood in his veins pulsed like fire as he looked for the brunet during the lunch time rush.

He didn’t know why he was so fired up about it. Chenle merely told him that Jaemin was getting pushed around a bit by some boys and a few girls, and he could feel something hollow in his stomach at the thought of somebody pushing the brunet around. Jaemin looked… so fragile. The thought of Jaemin being able to stand up and protect himself against a bunch of people was impossible.

_“Renjun’s friends with him now.”_

The innocent line didn’t appease him like Chenle meant it to. Huang Renjun had been the president of his fan club not too long ago and he wasn’t the nicest person in the world. Despite Renjun being only a month older, he was accelerated, hence him being a grade higher. Jeno found himself in plenty of his classes. Being at the top of his year and taking advanced placement classes assured that… and he saw first-hand how cruel the honey haired boy could be. Sometimes, Jeno was glad he was on Renjun’s good side.

He could feel his temper spike as he made his way through the crowd of students. Most of them made room for him, clearing a path at his deadly glare, but it was _looking_ for the brunet that got on his nerves. Jaemin had a tendency to go all over the place that he practically disappeared in the crowd.

Finally, Jeno grabbed the closest person to him, a sophomore girl, and said firmly, “Do you know where Na Jaemin is?”

She looked surprised before a dark blush flooded her cheeks. “J-Jeno– uh I… don’t…”

“Never mind.”

He whirled around and ran a hand through his hair in exasperation. It was impossible to find somebody during the lunch time rush. With thousands of students at Seoul Academy, he had to be worried about the frailest one of them all. The thought made him pause, but before he could ask himself why he was worried, he caught sight of his hair – always his hair – and called out to him. “Nana!”

The mentioned boy stilled before he looked around in confusion.

Their eyes met and a grin slowly spread onto the brunet’s lips.

He breathed a sigh of relief when Jaemin stayed where he was, allowing Jeno to come get him. His hair was the usual – slightly messy brown locks with overgrown bangs nearly covering his eyes. Jaemin had a book bag hanging off one shoulder that crossed his torso and hung on his opposite hip, right arm holding his math book to his chest while his left held a small cookie he was currently munching on.

“Nana?” Jaemin asked dryly, finishing his cookie as he looked for an opening to merge into the rush. “That’s new.”

Jeno lifted a hand to the brunet’s cheek, brushing off some crumbs and smirking when Jaemin looked up at him in surprise. “It worked, didn’t it?” The latter pressed his lips into a thin line to hide his amusement, and Jeno took him gently by the elbow to steer him into the rush. Jaemin walked obediently beside him, never straying, and he saw a small smile playing at the brunet’s lips.

“What’s wrong with you?”

Jaemin shrugged, grinning. “The crowd parts for you. You’re like Moses parting the sea. That is _so_ cool. It usually takes forever for me to get from my class to my locker during lunch time without taking an elbow to the face so this is… this is nice.” He looked up at the raven to give him a smile. He was always smiling. “So what’s up, Jeno? Did you just want to fill your Good Samaritan quota for the day or did you want something from me?”

The thought of Jaemin taking an elbow to the face made a chill go up and down his spine.

When they stopped in front of the brunet’s locker, Jeno realized he was still holding Jaemin’s elbow. He let go quickly, but the other didn’t seem to notice. Fitting the words around his tongue and watching the brunet place his books into the locker; he waited until Jaemin looked back at him before he spoke. “You’re friends with Huang Renjun.”

The boy looked at him strangely. “Yeah, how did you know?”

“Chenle told me. Look,” Jeno began uncertainly, watching as Jaemin stood against the door of his locker. “Is he giving you a hard time?”

Jaemin’s eyes widened before his lips curved upwards into a grin. “What? No! Where would you get an idea like that?” He laughed, reaching into his bag to pull out a cookie and a water bottle. “Renjun’s really nice to me. He tends to act like he doesn’t care, but he’s the one that sticks up for me whenever…” He bit his lip to prevent himself from finishing his sentence.

Jeno’s blood froze. “–Whenever you get picked on?” He finished coldly.

The brunet closed the door of his locker and snapped the lock shut before he turned to Jeno with a sigh. His eyes were wide and sincere, completely unbothered, and completely not how Jeno was feeling. “It doesn’t happen very often,” Jaemin said casually. “The new kid always gets picked on. It’s happened to me before and it’ll happen again. It’s just harmless pushing and a few words that do nothing more than prove how petty some people are. They’ll get bored of me before you know it and we’ll just all laugh about it after Christmas.”

Jeno tried to keep his voice even. “Do I look like I’m laughing right now?”

How could Jaemin be so dismissive? He looked at the boy, up and down, checking for visible signs of violence – seeing nothing but pale, perfect skin and thin wrists. When he gazed back at Jaemin, he saw that his eyes were amused and his left eyebrow was arched. “Done checking for injuries, dad?”

“Yes,” He replied seriously, easing Jaemin down the hall with a hand on the other’s elbow again. “People can be brutal. You’re not the first one to be picked on at this school, but you’re the only one–” _that I care about_. The thought made Jeno pause, continuing quickly moments later, “–that doesn’t deserve it. What did they say to you exactly?”

Jaemin took a swig of his water bottle before licking his bottom lip. Then he looked up at the raven thoughtfully. It looked like he was debating on whether or not to tell him the truth. Jeno could probably tell if he was lying. The pretty boy didn’t look like the type to be good at deception. “Would you rather a lie or the truth?” He asked with an honest, reluctant grin.

“A lie,” Jeno deadpanned with a sardonic edge to his tone.

“Well,” The brunet started with an exaggerated sigh, “–they think I should be King. I have the right style for it and under me, they would serve loyally each and every day of their lives. I’m the smartest, most handsome guy they’ve ever met,” He continued with a casual shrug. “This school is too small for somebody of my grace and talent so perhaps I should leave and take them with me. They think I can rule the world. I probably could though, if I really wanted to. It would be easy actually. I could be seductive and enchant people of great power to do my bidding and when the intellectual world is at my mercy, I’ll be able to–”

“Okay,” The Jeno interrupted with a roll of his eyes, “Honestly.”

Jaemin beamed up at him before he settled his eyes forward to the cafeteria. “They said I didn’t deserve to hang out with you and your friends… that I must have done something to bribe you guys into letting me hang out with you at lunch. Apparently, you never have just _anyone_ , moreover a newbie, sit at your table and I must have done something _very nice_ to be the first.” He chuckled and his voice was so falsely bright that it made a lump lodge itself at the base of the raven’s throat. The brunet looked at Jeno and smiled wryly, “Don’t worry, Jeno. I’m a big boy. This doesn’t bother me.”

He could tell the other was lying.

Why would he still try to smile?

It was like Jaemin was trying to convince himself that he was fine… that he was happy. How many of those smiles that Jeno had seen were real? When he looked at the brunet from the corner of his eyes, it seemed so obvious he was faking it now, but before? The boy hadn’t had lunch with them for two days… was he trying to avoid them because of what those people said about him?

A warm hand touched his before Jaemin pulled on his pinky. The contact made Jeno blink down at their hands before he brought his eyes up to meet his gaze. Jaemin was smiling, and it was a genuine smile. “Thank you for worrying, Jeno, but it’ll be fine.”

The fire flared in his veins. “If you weren’t bothered by it, why didn’t you come to have lunch with us yesterday? Or the day before?”

Jaemin looked surprised, his eyes widening before he looked down, a small smile still on his lips. “I had to get some help with my Math. Mr. Bang-Bang doesn’t eat, remember? He’s a robot so… and plus I need all of the Math help I can get.”

“You’re a terrible liar,” Jeno said immediately.

The brunet peeked up from under his eyelashes and hid a wince. “I know.” He let go other the other’s pinky and bit his lip once more. “It’s the truth… just not the whole truth. I’m sorry.”

The raven stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked at him carefully, taking in his slumped shoulders and bowed head. “You don’t have to apologize,” He told the other finally.

“A friendship isn’t a friendship if it’s based on lies,” Jaemin said as a matter-of-fact, smiling with a sad curve to his lips. “And I want us to be friends… you and me.”

The words made something inside Jeno stagger, and he found the only thing he could do was to nod. “Then… then tell me the truth, starting now. Correct the half-truth you just told me.”

Jaemin paused and looked at him thoughtfully for a long moment.

Then he nodded, straightened his back, and looked at the raven right in the eyes. Jeno could see the honesty shining from within them. “I didn’t _have_ to get help from Mr. Bang-Bang. I go three mornings a week already to get more help. It’s just… I thought it would be–” He closed his eyes for a few seconds before opening them once more, glowing with resolve. “I thought it would be easier if I just avoided you for a little bit. Just for a little while for the other students to cool down. I figured I might as well do something productive and it’s not like they can push me around when I’m with a teacher right?”

Jaemin chuckled softly, rubbing his arm with the water bottle. “It didn’t exactly work. They said my avoiding you guys just proved them right. I don’t know what to do to win.”

_Like it’s a game._

Jeno clenched his fists in his pockets as a several thoughts raced through his head. What could he do? He hated dealing with people, especially girls. They were so much trouble. He didn’t have any problems with guys. He could just punch them in the head and they’d get the message. But everything was so different with girls. He never knew how they would take things. Would intervening only cause Jaemin more trouble?

Vaguely, he saw the cookie in front of his eyes before Jaemin tapped him lightly on the forehead with it. “Stop over thinking it, Jeno,” He said seriously, eyes grateful but firm. “I know you’re worried, but I can take care of myself. I _want_ to take care of myself. I don’t need you looking after me.” He placed one hand on his hip and clenched his jaw, looking solemn. “If you do anything, I swear to god, I’ll be so angry with you.”

“I’m so scared.” Jeno deadpanned sarcastically.

The brunet hit him in the arm and narrowed his eyes sternly. “I’m serious Jeno. Promise me you won’t interfere?”

He didn’t expect it to be so hard to say. It was just two words… two simple words. He could have lied, but the thought of disappointing the other male made a bitter taste settle in his mouth. Jaemin looked at him pointedly and he could do nothing more than nod. “I promise.”

Jeno didn’t expect the boy to flip him the bird and the complete turn of events made him gaze at the other in surprise. The boy wiggled his middle finger in the air and smirked at him. “It’s like a pinky swear,” Jaemin said simply, eyes gleaming with mirth. “But pinkies don’t swear.” He held his middle finger out to the raven and with amusement, Jeno clasped their middle fingers together and shook on it.

“It would be more potent if we spat on each other’s hands,” The brunet remarked casually.

He looked at Jaemin incredulously making the boy burst out with a ringing laugh that had the corner of his lips curve upwards. “Obviously we’re not going to do that!” He grinned and pulled the cafeteria doors open. Before he stepped through though, he looked at Jeno seriously. “Break that promise, Lee, and you’re dead to me. Understand?”

Jeno would have rolled his eyes if the other wasn’t so serious.

So he nudged the pretty boy forward into the cafeteria and whispered in his ear, “I won’t disappoint you, Nana.”

 

* * *

 

As usual, Lami was taking her time saying goodbye to her friends which left Jeno leaning idly against his car to wait for her. The annoyance was minimal as he kept a lookout for Nana. He wondered why he never noticed the other for the first two months of school, but the boy always ran right by his car on the way to work or back to his place.

He twisted his keys around his fingers and smirked when he caught sight of him. This time he didn’t have to shout to catch the other boy’s attention because it seemed like Jaemin was looking for him too. The thought made him warm.

Jaemin smiled when he walked over. “Hi!”

“Do you have work today?” He asked.

The brunet laughed and shook his head. “No, but I’ve got lots of homework to do.” At Jeno’s questioning stare, he scowled half-heartedly. “Math, of course. The bane of my existence…”

Jeno smirked at him, making the other roll his eyes at the unvoiced taunt.

“I can help you.”

He didn’t know who was more surprised, him or Jaemin? He didn’t have a problem helping Jaemin, it was true… but he was never one to offer his help for anything unless someone asked for it. He swallowed at the meaning for his actions, but didn’t dwell on it for long. The brunet was looking at him, chewing the inside of his cheek thoughtfully. “Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have said it if I didn’t mean it,” He responded roughly, rubbing at the back of his neck.

Jaemin paused carefully, pulling at the strap of his book bag in what seemed to be nervousness. Why he was nervous, Jeno wasn’t quite certain.  The boy bit his lip, “And you’re good at sophomore math, are you, Mr. Lee?”

Whatever he was expecting the other to say, it was not that, and the surprise made a scoff slip by him. “Do you really need me to answer that?” Jeno shook his head wryly. “You’re an idiot, Nana. You need all the help you can get.”

“Hey!” Jaemin smacked the raven on the arm with the back of his hand. “Do you always have to point out how much of an idiot I am?”

“Only when you say or do something stupid,” He responded easily, shifting the keys around in his hand. “…which seems to happen very often.” Jaemin squawked something in his ear, but the sight of Lami coming toward them with a group of her friends distracted Jeno. Lami’s eyes were lit with a smile when she saw Jaemin standing beside him and he could read only a handful of words from her lips when she spoke quietly to her friends.

He wouldn’t have caught the word if he wasn’t looking for it. _Boyfriend_.

Lami’s friends did not look very happy for him.

“Hi Jeno!” Her two friends chorused with identical smiles on their faces.

He nodded back at them.

Their smiles were different than Nana’s and he didn’t like it very much. Vaguely he wondered at what point he started calling Jaemin ‘ _Nana_ ’ in his head. He didn’t dwell on it for too long because Lami jumped to Jaemin’s side in a heartbeat and was chatting away like they were best friends. The brunet didn’t seem to mind, but Jeno didn’t want the other talking to his sister. Or anybody in general when the boy was with him.

“Lami, do you need a ride or what?” He tried, but he couldn’t keep the irritation away from his voice. The female raven merely darted a look over her shoulder and grinned without responding and opted to continue whatever she was saying to Nana. Her friends, on the other hand, had no problem with this and tried to pull him into a conversation about why he didn’t try out for the basketball team with Mark.

He responded curtly before poking his sister in the side to catch her attention. “I’m helping Nana with some homework today, so the sooner you get your butt in the car, the sooner I can smarten him up.”

“Hey!”

The both of them ignored the raven.

“Study session, huh?” Lami said with a clever grin on her face. “All right. You two have fun _studying_ and I can hitch a ride with Mark! He’s still here, right?” She craned her neck to look behind him, finding Mark’s car, a slow smile curving her lips. “Yup. He probably has basketball practice or something. Okay! Play safe and don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!”

She sidestepped him easily and clasped the arms of both of her friends with a grin. “Girls, we’re watching Seoul Academy’s basketball practice. Let’s go!” The petite raven flashed a look over her shoulder. “Nice seeing you again, Jaeminie!”

Jeno turned to look at the boy beside him with an exasperated sigh, and then opened the passenger door of his car. “Your chariot.” He said dryly, stepping aside for him.

“Why thank you.” Jaemin shook his head in amusement. He made certain no limbs were hanging out before the Jeno closed the door. The raven walked around to the driver’s side and started up the car before pulling out of the school parking lot. They waited at the light when Jaemin asked, “Your place or mine?”

Jeno could feel a flush inch up his neck before he shot the other with a dark look. Jaemin seemed oblivious to the implications of his question and he sighed before murmuring, “Mine. Dad is expecting me…” He paused and groaned at the thought of his father finding out about this. “On second thought… your place might be better.”

 

* * *

 

 

Jeno wondered if this was some kind of sick joke of his.

“You live at a hotel?”

The words were out of his moth before he could reel them back. He watched the brunet shrug nonchalantly as if it was the most natural thing in the world. Jaemin pulled his book bag closer, a nervous gesture the raven became accustomed to, and led the way into the lobby.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Park!” Jaemin smiled at the older boy manning the front desk. Said boy nodded at him and stuttered a reply that made Jeno ashamed of the human species. The boy at the desk was being too obvious. He looked to be about four years older than they were and yet he couldn’t keep the blush out of his cheeks or the dilation from his eyes. He looked star-struck.

Jeno put a hand at the small of Jaemin’s back and guided him casually into the elevator before the brunet could analyze the boy-at-the-front-desk’s reaction. From the looks of it, he didn’t notice anyway. Jaemin reached past him to press the ninth floor button, and he caught a whiff of his scent. It wasn’t strawberries or lavender or whatever other stuff… it was indescribable – just sweet and Jaemin.

“I know it’s kind of weird,” Jaemin broke the silence and fiddled with the strap of his bag. He looked up at Jeno nervously from underneath his eyelashes and was quick to explain, “My grandparents died three months ago, and my parents were gone long before that.” The elevator pinged on the ninth floor and he snapped his lips shut when the doors opened. He smiled hesitantly and led the both of them down the left hallway before he pulled out a key card and opened the door.

Jaemin sucked in a quick breath, peeked up at Jeno, and then opened the door.

It wasn’t a penthouse or anything, but it was impressive.

When Jeno made the decision to help the boy study at his place, he wasn’t expecting _this_. It seemed Na Jaemin was full of surprises. He found it hard to believe. “How could you have afforded to live in a hotel room for the past two and a half months?”

Jaemin dropped his bag on the coffee table in the living room area and flopped down onto the couch in front of the television set before he looked at Jeno carefully. He had that look on his face like he was debating on telling the truth or a lie again. Finally, he patted the spot beside him and it took a second for the raven to react, carefully sitting down.

The brunet turned in his seat to face him, and then clasped his hands together as he laughed lightly. “It’s probably a weird story… When my mom was in high school, and when she already found my dad, a boy who ended up becoming her best friend fell in love with her. You probably don’t want to hear about all of the drama that happened, but he loved her despite it being unrequited and all that. They were still best friends throughout the years. He would follow her to the ends of the earth if he could… but he started his business and he couldn’t stick around for extended periods of time. I barely remember him growing up. He’d come twice a year maybe.”

He was clasping his hands so tight his knuckles were turning white, but Jeno didn’t know what to do as the boy continued with his explanation, barely pausing. “When I was born, Ten was named my godfather… so when mom and dad died, he was supposed to take care of me. I didn’t really know him, but mom trusted him. He wanted me to live with him, but I stayed with my grandparents. I loved them and they were family and I knew they were getting old. The neighbors offered to check in with them but I wanted to take care of them personally. They lived for another five years after that before they died too.”

Jaemin quickly got to his feet, the movement surprising Jeno, but he merely started to straighten up the pictures on the ledge in front of the big picture windows. “Uncle Hansol offered me a place at his house, but he already had a family and I didn’t want to make his sons have to share a bedroom so that there would be a room for me.” When he was finished straightening out the pictures, he started pacing the length of the room.

“I was going to rent an apartment for myself… just a small, one room apartment with the money I got from my parents. But when Ten heard about it, he flew down to get me. He owns this hotel chain and Thai Your Shoes,” The brunet said with a small smile. “He told me the story about him and mom… and asked me to let him take care of me. I could tell he cared a lot about mom. I already knew him from the stories she would tell. He wanted me to live with him, but he was always travelling or out for business so I asked him for a room here and a job at Thai Your Shoes. He said that was easy and the rest… well… you know what they say.”

The younger gripped the hem of his shirt with tiny fists and there was a nervous look on his face. Jeno wondered what he was so nervous about. Surely he didn’t think the he was going to judge him? It just made the raven hyper aware of their differences… how much more capable Jaemin was compared to how he looked. Jaemin looked like a child with the responsibilities of an adult. Did he really live here by himself? He came home after school and work to an empty hotel room with a nice view?

Jeno’s chest ached.

“You live here by yourself?” He asked softly and watched the other male as he bit his lip.

Jaemin nodded slowly, but was quick to explain, “Uncle Hansol comes to visit at least once a week to see how I’m doing. If I don’t see him at school, he calls me.”

Jeno blinked, and he could feel the confusion clouding into his mind. _Jaemin saw him at school…?_ “What did you just say?”

“Uncle Hansol works at Seoul Academy…” He looked at Jeno strangely before a laugh lit up his face. “Uncle Hansol works at Seoul Academy,” He repeated, “But you probably know him as Principal Ji.” At the look on Jeno’s face, the boy explained patiently, “Dad and uncle Hansol have the same mother. They’re half-brothers. Or were…”

Jaemin shrugged and sat on the coffee table to face him. “He takes care of all of my school expenses, Ten takes care of all of this,” He looked around the room pointedly. “He would have paid for everything else, but I didn’t want to just sit around. I feel like I’ve become a burden. I barely remember uncle Hansol. His visits were always brief. Dad loved him, though. He thought uncle Hansol was the greatest.”

He blinked and looked back to him, and Jeno was startled at his nervous laugh. “Sorry, I’m boring you with my stories!” He began pulling out the books from his bag and turned to narrow his eyes at the raven. “I’m going to put your math skills to the test, Lee. Fair warning, let’s see if your talents match up to that smart mouth of yours.”

Jeno watched silently as the other male sat down by his feet and stuck the end of his pencil in his mouth before flipping his math book open. He knew they came back here to study, but he got so much more from it. This boy was really… words weren’t nearly enough to describe him.

He usually hated listening to people speak. They were either air-headed or told him irrelevant facts about themselves that he could really care less about. But with Jaemin, it was just different. He wanted to know everything about him. The sound of Jaemin’s voice made him feel that familiar feeling he thought he lost when his mother died. That, too, was hard to describe with words.

“Why do you work if everything is paid for?” Jeno asked, leaning down to distract Jaemin from the math page that captivated said boy’s attention.

Their faces were so close and he could see he caught the boy by surprise. Jaemin’s eyes flew open, wide and brown, before he leaned back and squeaked, “Wh-what are you doing?”

The reaction made a smirk pull at Jeno’s lips, but he wanted to hear him answer. He leaned back and waited, repeating the question. “Oh… food. I didn’t want uncle Hansol and Ten to have to take care of _everything_. They’ve already done so much for me… taking care of me when we’re all kind of strangers to each other.” The raven looked down at Jaemin. Was that the reason he was so thin and fragile looking?

Jaemin searched Jeno’s face and whatever he saw made him frown. “You worry too much, Jeno. I’m a server at a restaurant. I get as much food as I want and room service here is free for me. Ten made sure of that. I have everything I need so you don’t have to worry about me not getting enough to eat. I’d consider myself lucky!”

He patted Jeno on the knee before turning back to the math book, “Okay, homework time! I want to exploit your boy-genius powers as much as I can before you have to leave.” He glanced at the clock on the wall before he whispered. “Two hours wasted because of my big fat mouth.” He turned to look at Jeno and smiled wryly. “Time just seems to fly by with you, geez!”

Jeno’s ribcage seemed to contract around his heart.

 _I’ll say_.

 

* * *

 

Nana wasn’t actually stupid.

He definitely wasn’t the brightest bulb either, but if there was anything Jeno noticed about him as he helped the boy with his math, it was that he picked up equations and concepts far faster than the raven expected him to. Jaemin whined about the pointlessness of mathematics in his life and cheered loudly when he answered questions correctly. He was easily discouraged and Jeno didn’t try to encourage him… he didn’t know how. He suspected the Jaemin’s disinterest in the subject and procrastination led him to do so poorly.

Not to mention the brunet was easily distracted by _the pretty lights outside!_ , the constant calls of his stomach, and conversations that nearly always ended with him talking about his parents, his best friend, or work at Thai Your Shoes.

Jaemin was a handful… always chattering about something nonsensical, smiling to hide his true feelings and being nosy.

Yet two days and the weekend without seeing him made Jeno extremely aware he didn’t mind the other’s loud excited voice too much. They texted each other occasionally, but Jaemin was too busy with work and the both of them had a dozen of tests and assignments before Christmas break.

Jaemin spent most of his lunches catching up on assignments and today wasn’t any different.

The cafeteria was filled to the brim. It was the beginning of the last week of school before the break and nobody could afford to skip school now that tests were being held every day of the week in every class with assignments due every period. It was just another reason Jeno couldn’t stand the Christmas season. He was a firm believer in the weekly off-day, but the haul of schoolwork made that almost impossible. Despite his aloof personality, he took pride in his almost flawless academic record. Too bad it meant he had to tolerate the increased chatter and attention at lunch.

Snow never lasted in Seoul for more than a few days so the gang opted to keep their jackets on and snag their customary table out in the courtyard just outside the cafeteria. The courtyard was a wide open space in the heart of Seoul Academy decked out with stone benches and picnic tables, gardens and flowers and a small open field of grass perfect to sprawl on during the summer weather.

The chill in the air felt crisp on Jeno’s skin.

Every seat at their table was full and Chenle’s chatter dominated all. They never really talked about other people, but with the Christmas dance coming up, Chenle seemed almost desperate, trying not to flail his arms about. “He keeps telling me he doesn’t want to go with me!” He muttered sulkily with his hand settled on his crossed arms. “I don’t get it!”

“Maybe that means he… oh, I don’t know, _doesn’t want to go with you_?” Jungwoo said pointedly, taking a bite of his pizza. Half-chewing, he continued, “I don’t get why you want to go with him so bad. He treats you like poop.”

Mark groaned from beside him. “Thanks for the visual,” He said gruffly, pushing his chocolate pudding away with a frown.

Lucas grabbed it gratefully.

Mark rolled his eyes. “Have you even spoken two words to him? He probably thinks you’re some kind of stalker.”

Jeno smirked at that and Mark returned his mirth with a grin.

Chenle didn’t find it so funny. “Of course I talk to him!” He turned to look at Jeno earnestly. “Renjun and I have a history! I don’t just hang out with _you_ guys, you know! I actually have friends outside of this circle and Renjun’s one of them!” He looked around the table when low snickers started and fought the grin off his face to replace it with a half-hearted, offended expression. “Where do you think I go after basketball practice?”

“To your mom?”

Mark laughed at that and the whole table followed suit.

Chenle scowled and brown eyes narrowed with offence. “Ha. Ha. You guys are _so_ funny.”

“There’s nothing special about the Christmas Dance,” Jeno said lowly, twisting his lighter around on the surface of the table without looking. His eyes were dark against his face. “You’ve never been this excited to go before.”

The boy with the lilac hair looked down, thoughtful but embarrassed enough to let some of his locks cover his eyes. “Yeah well… Renjun’s graduating this year,” Chenle said with a shrug. “I want to hang out with him as much as I can before he goes to University. Who knows!” His permanent, optimistic grin was back on his face. “Maybe, if I pull out enough charm, he’ll agree to go out with me before he leaves!”

Mark shifted from beside him with a wistful expression on his face. “Go for it,” He nodded decisively. “Renjun’s nice enough and there’s no point in living life if you’re just getting by, right?” At the curious looks, Mark shrugged with a boyish grin that Jeno knew was potent to the people of Seoul Academy. “Jisung’s got me reading too many books about regret. So sue me.”

“Well, at least he’s cute.” Jungwoo was unconcerned. “It barely makes up for his nasty attitude, though. You remember how mean he used to be, right Jeno?”

The mentioned male looked at him slowly before Nana’s voice reverberated through his head. Normally, Jeno would have agreed, but Renjun stood up for him. That had to mean something. He shrugged noncommittally before focusing his gaze back to his lighter. “He’s not so bad.”

Jungwoo’s jaw dropped. “He’s terrible!”

Chenle flashed him a dark look. “You bought lunch last week so I’m just going to forget you said that,” He said airily, elbowing the other in the gut. “Renjun _is_ nice. He just doesn’t show it. Just like Jeno here!”

At that, the raven kicked him from underneath the table.

“Speaking of Jeno,” Mark turned to him with a grin. “–Are you planning on taking Jaemin this year? You hang out with him more than you hang out with me now.” His voice was filled with faux jealousy, making Jungwoo and Lucas grin.

Jeno rolled his eyes at the jeering before he arched an eyebrow at Mark. “I don’t go to school dances, Mark.”

“Not _truuuuuue_ ,” Chenle sang with a massive grin on his face. “You went last year for the Spring Fling. Don’t even try to get yourself out of that one! Everybody saw you and the girls around here couldn’t stop going on and on about _how good Jeno looked, oh my!_ For weeks after.” He dodged the bottle cap Mark threw at him and lifted an eyebrow. Solemnly, he said, “Jeno’s the dancing queen.”

Mark snickered from beside him.

Jeno didn’t find it so funny. “Do you _want_ me to kill you?”

“He’s got a point though,” Jungwoo piped in before he cowered at the dark glare. “What? You _did_ go!”

“With my sister,” He said dryly, flicking his lighter on and holding it up to the corner of his napkin. “I hardly think that counts. I refused for as long as I could before she pulled the sick card and told me I had to show how excited I was for her to be out of the hospital.”

“And we all knew how excited you were,” Mark laughed, running a hand through his hair to get his blonde locks away from his eyes. “Didn’t you leave before the dance was halfway over?”

“He didn’t last _that_ long,” Chenle’s eyes were bright with amusement when he looked away from the burning paper. “He left after forty-five minutes.”

Jeno turned to scan the courtyard once more and ignored the jibes. “You can’t blame me. That dance was brutal,” He said coolly once the snickers died down. He looked pointedly at Mark. The latter probably got it much worse that he did since he was the resident MVP at the academy. “There were girls everywhere. It was suffocating.”

“You’re so cocky,” Mark smirked knowingly.

Jeno shrugged before he sat up to pull his wallet from his back pocket. “Who wants a hotdog?”

“I do!” Lucas and Jungwoo called simultaneously, oblivious to the suspicious looks Mark and Chenle were sending to Jeno.

“Great,” He responded, pulling out some money. “While you’re getting your hotdogs, get one for me.”

“Hey!” Both voices sputtered.

When they left, Jeno lifted an eyebrow sardonically at the two remaining and gazed at them expectantly. Chenle cracked before Mark did. “Jaemin said he wanted to go,” He said feebly, trying to shrug it off. “I figured since you’re good friends, you could take him.”

Jeno frowned. “We’re not good friends. I met him less than three weeks ago.”

Mark looked at him incredulously. “Friendship isn’t measured by how long you’ve been friends. You know that as well as I do, Jeno.” The mentioned male shot him a dark look, but the blonde was unbothered. Instead, he pulled his shirt sleeve up to his elbow and sighed. “Look, you’ve known Chenle for four years and I’ve known you since we were eight. Chenle’s just as good a friend to you as I am and yet it took two weeks for you to tell Jaemin about your mom. Compared to how long _we_ waited to hear about it, that’s saying something.”

“Well said, Mark.” Chenle nodded mechanically before he arched his eyebrow.

Jeno leaned back. “You two have thought long and hard about this, haven’t you?”

The both of them shared an uneasy look before Mark met his gaze coolly. “We did some thinking when you bailed on us to help Jaemin study. It’s not a bad thing to be friends with him and he’s really nice…” He shrugged to show he wasn’t trying to make it a big deal. “It was just a question. Jaemin told Renjun he wanted to go and I figured that if you ended up going at all, it would be with him.”

He wasn’t really the dancing type and the thought of going to a social event with more girls than guys made him nervous. He had learned earlier on that girls had an affinity towards his looks, likewise some of the male population, and the memories of his younger years getting hassled by them always prevented him from going anywhere else. He hadn’t even thought of going to the dance at all, with Nana or otherwise. They were tentative friends and nothing more. They probably thought he had romantic feelings toward the younger, but in all honesty, he just cared about him.

The boy was so helpless.

“You don’t have to go if you don’t want to,” Chenle looked at him with a deadpan expression. “Obviously you don’t have to force yourself to go. It was just a suggestion. If you don’t want to go with Jaemin, he can go with someone else or go by himself. Like you said, it’s just a school dance. It’s no big deal.”

Jeno looked at his best friend. “Are you going this year?”

At this, Mark laughed and shook his head. “Dances are really just for the girls. You know I’m not much of a dancer. I would go if I had somebody special to go with, but as it is, I would rather not.” Then his eyes narrowed. “But I’ll go if you go.”

“Someone special, huh?” Chenle said sneakily, looking around to check if anybody was eavesdropping on them. The courtyard, however, remained almost deserted due to the cold weather. He turned back to them with a grin. “I heard you’ve got a bunch of requests already, Mr. MVP. Nobody’s caught your eye yet?”

“Don’t call me that,” Mark frowned, leaning his head against the palm of his hand. “And obviously not or I would have made a move already. The dance is in four days. I’m not a last minute kind of person like Jeno.” At the mention of his name, Mark turned to him curiously. “How many have asked _you_ to the dance?”

The most recent request flashed before his eyes. He scowled when a sour taste settled in his mouth, “Four today, thirteen since last Thursday.”

“I’ve gotten eleven.” Chenle grinned wolfishly, stretching his arms across the table before cracking his back. “They’re all really sweet though. Most of them brought me cookies and everything!” His eyes brightened considerably. “Now if _Renjun_ did that, I would die a happy man!”

Mark grinned before he peered over Chenle’s shoulder. “I wonder what’s taking JungCas so long.”

There was a pause before he shrugged.

“JungCas?” Chenle seemed to consider the name with brown eyes looking heavenward. “Cute,” He decided with a smirk. “They do have a bromance going on, don’t they?”

Mark snickered and looked over at Jeno. “It’s not as good as yours. They call you –get this– NoMin.”

“I thought it was JaeNo?” The lilac haired boy raised a brow. “That’s what the girls in my Science class call you.”

The nicknames made Jeno frown as he pictured Jaemin in his head. “Who the hell made _those_ up?”

“Do you really think anybody knows? Rumors travel like forest fires around here. I heard it from some girls in my English class though,” Mark murmured carefully with a smile playing on his lips. “I know you said some people were giving Jaemin a hard time for hanging out with you, but it seems like he’s made a few friends too. The students in my class think you make a good pair.”

Before he could act on the disagreement in his throat, Chenle jumped in with a conspiring whisper, “They say he tamed the wild beast inside you.”

Jeno almost laughed until he saw Huang Renjun walk towards them. Chenle’s eyes visibly brightened. The raven could feel disgust and disbelief shine through his stony expression. “What the hell is wrong with these people?” He muttered lowly.

“Well _I_ think it’s cute,” The senior dropped down in the vacant seat beside him, Renjun avoiding the boyish grin on Chenle’s face. “Rumor has it you two are the next JaeYong couple.”

At this, Jeno could feel a dark heat on his neck. Who the hell would think Nana and he were like… like _them_?

Renjun raised a perfectly arched brow and said airily, “It’s caused somewhat of an uproar among the other students. Jaemin doesn’t exactly fit the Taeyong cut-out.”

There was a long silence before Chenle scratched the back of his neck. “You lost me. What?”

Renjun rolled his eyes before finally meeting Chenle’s. “Jung Yoonoh, aka Jaehyun, and Lee Taeyong. You were either a freshman or still in middle school when they were seniors here but you had to have heard about those two. They’re legends here.”

At Chenle’s blank stare, the honey haired senior threw his hands up.

“They were childhood friends growing up, always bickered back and forth… Jaehyun was popular among the girls while Taeyong was popular among both the girls and the guys, but they were never interested in anybody except for each other,” Mark narrated with a grin. “They kept saying they there were _just friends_ even though everybody else could tell otherwise. They graduated and still haven’t admitted to anything.” Mark’s amusement almost seared into his side, “You remember Jaehyun, don’t you, Jeno? He always came around to–”

He interrupted Mark with a grunt and turned to look out at the garden. “Rumor or not,” Jeno growled decidedly, “–Nana and I are nothing but friends. They can talk all they want, but that’s not going to change.”

Renjun didn’t look surprised in the least, “So you’re not taking him to the school dance either?”

“Wasn’t planning on it,” He responded blandly, crushing the blackened remains of the paper napkin.

“He kept telling me you two were friends too, but that’s a load of junk.” Jeno looked up with narrowed eyes only to see Renjun cross his legs at the ankles and lift up his chin haughtily. “Are you really going to let him go to the dance with some other person he hardly knows?”

He could feel his temper flare at the visible attack from the three of them. Why did they want him to go to the dance with Nana so bad? They knew as well as he did, probably better, how much he hated going to social functions like that. Mark and Chenle were plagued by the same annoyance. Renjun tailed him for months and couldn’t catch even a hair of him anywhere near school dances or pep rallies. The hell he was going to start now just because of some cute brunet.

Nana was far more trouble than he was worth.

The raven could feel electricity in his veins when he looked at the three of them. “If Na wants to go to the stupid dance, then he can go with whoever he wants. I’m not going to interfere.” His firm tone left no room for argument and the trio looked on, equally serious. “Look, just drop the damn subject. I’m not going to the dance.”

There was a murmured assent before Chenle perked up in his seat, turning his gaze back to Renjun. “So… speaking of the dance–”

“No, Chenle,” He said, examining his nails.

“Why not? Has somebody asked you already?”

“Of course,” Renjun said, tossing him a dark look. “But it’s not like I’ve said yes to anybody.”

“But _why not_?” Chenle was persistent, sitting slightly slouched in his seat. “Are you waiting for somebody specific to ask you to the dance or are you just playing hard to get? Because I’m going to keep asking you until you tell me you’re going with somebody else.”

The senior opened his mouth to say something when Jungwoo reappeared at the door of the cafeteria, panting with a crushed hotdog in his fist. “Jeno,” His voice was hoarse from exertion. “You’re going to want to come out here. Now.”

It felt like his blood was flowing faster than normal when he bolted up from his seat and stormed into the cafeteria. His eyes scanned the room until they fell on Lucas, who was glaring at something just beyond the doors of the cafeteria that led to the main foyer of the school. He didn’t realize he was holding his breath until he stood at the doors and saw the brunet.

Nana… he was talking and smiling at a senior and a junior with that radiant smile and twinkle at the corner of his eyes.

“What the hell is going on here?” Jeno hissed at Lucas without taking his eyes from the trio who seemed oblivious to their audience.

“They’re asking him to the school dance,” Lucas whispered back quickly. “I overheard them talking earlier about wanting to ask him and sent Jungwoo to get you. I don’t think they’ve asked him yet. They just approached him.”

His blood was on fire and he took a step forward before Mark said quietly, “Well at least we know Jaemin’s got a date for the dance, huh, Jeno?” The words made him still in his spot and he clenched his jaw and watched with the rest of them as the two other boys made their move.

“So choose, Jaemin,” One jerk said nicely with one hand in his pocket and the other hanging idly at his side. “We’re best friends, but there won’t be any hard feelings if you choose one of us over the other.”

The other nodded. “That’s right. We both like you.”

The brunet blinked sparkling eyes as a blush bloomed on his cheeks before he shook his head. “I’m really sorry, but I can’t go with either of you,” He said finally, an apology shining in every line of his body.

The words made Jeno inhale sharply and he could feel Mark’s warm hand settle on his shoulder to stop him from taking a step forward.

_What was he–_

“Why not?” Both boys said in unison just decibels away from a whine. The senior straightened before he muttered smoothly, “Somebody’s already snagged you, huh?” He nudged his friend in the arm. “I told you we shouldn’t have waited until now to ask.”

The other gave a half-hearted shrug before he smiled wholesome, genuine smile. “I thought…” He laughed before he pocketed his hands and grinned. “Well I’m not surprised somebody smartened up and asked you first, Jaemin. You’re a really nice person.”

“And cute too.”

Nana looked lost and the expression almost made Jeno laugh if he wasn’t so confused. “Um… thank you,” Jaemin said faintly. He blinked again before he composed himself and smiled widely. “Thank you for asking me. And I’m so sorry! I’m sure you guys will find somebody really special to go with!”

The both of them laughed before swinging their arms around him to give him a one-armed hug each. “Well, have fun at the dance Jaemin. Whoever you’re going with is a lucky jerk.” Nana grinned and waved as the senior and the junior turned to leave.

Before Jeno could so much as move, a blur of honey brown brushed past him and Renjun’s loud voice snarled, “You did _not_ tell me you already had a date to the dance!”

Nana whipped his head around in surprise and caught Jeno’s gaze. The latter felt warm when the former sent him a grin and a wave in greeting. Mark prodded him forward and he slowly made his way over with his blood simmering in his veins. He nodded at the Jaemin’s smile and breathed out a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Well?” Renjun asked authoritatively. “You told those boys you couldn’t go with them so spit it out. Why not? Going with a senior would have been _so_ hot and the junior was pretty cute too!”

Jeno watched as Nana shuffled his feet before avoiding his gaze. “I couldn’t go with them because I’ve already decided to go with somebody else.”

Renjun tossed Jeno a dark look from over his shoulder. Then he both turned back to Nana, placing his hands on his hips dangerously. “You _decided_ you were going to go with somebody else? Who!”

Jaemin didn’t pause or hesitate.

The blow was swift.

“Chanhee, of course!” Nana said as if it was obvious. “He asked me first.”

 

* * *

 

The Grand Avenue was a casual restaurant that felt much more like a café and they went there at least twice a week.

It used to be slow-paced when he, Mark, and Chenle started going in middle school, but over the years, it gained some kind of appeal. Girls started pouring in and boys followed soon after. Mark had wanted to choose some other place to hang out after their table was constantly taken, but Jeno had refused to let it go and the owner had graciously agreed to reserve their table on Monday and Wednesday nights.

Jeno thanked god it was Monday night. The smell of coffee and grease made his muscles relax just the slightest as Chenle let the way into the restaurant. The lilac haired boy whistled at the full house. “Thank goodness we’ve got connections. I’d have to chew my own arm off if I had to wait for this place to clear.”

The raven looked around idly until a flash of honey brown caught his eye. Offhandedly, he pointed it out and Chenle promptly locked his gaze on Renjun only, making a beeline toward his table. It was no mystery. The senior only started coming to The Grand Avenue when he still had his club, but stayed for habit’s sake.

Jeno sat down at his table and waited for Mark.

“What will it take for you to go with me to the dance?” Chenle asked loudly for the nth time.

The dance. It was a social function he never gave a thought of going to before and the hype about it was giving him a migraine. Nana was going to the dance with his class’ president. He couldn’t wrap his mind around it until lunch ended ten minutes after the brunet dropped the bomb. Two periods and two hours later, he came to accept it. It wasn’t his business who Jaemin went to the dance with and he would stand by that reasoning.

He acknowledged the waves and greetings from semi-familiar faces with a nod before Chenle slumped into the seat across from him in their booth. Before Jeno could ask him what his problem was, Chenle straightened and pounded the table with a fist. “I’m going to the dance alone!”

“Are you telling me you’re going by yourself or are you telling me to convince you to go by yourself?” Jeno said dryly as he scanned the specials menu.

“Both.” Chenle grinned easily, folding his arms over the table. “I can tell that Renjun wants to go with me. It’s obvious. I can practically read it all over his face.” He said slowly, drumming his fingers erratically on the table. “I don’t get why he’s being so stubborn about it, though. It doesn’t make sense.”

Jeno looked at him, feeling his frustration. “People don’t make sense.”

“You speak the truth, my friend.” Chenle sighed, stabbing the menu with a finger. “I’m ordering a steak tonight!”

“That bad, huh?”

“What’s bad?”

The new voice at the end of the booth made them look up, and it took Jeno a second to realize it was Nana standing there by himself. He looked past the brunet but saw no one else. “Where’s Mark?” He asked finally. “He said he was going to pick you up after you got lost finding this place.”

Jaemin scowled at his choice of words before he looked back at the entrance with a grin. “Mark got into an argument with Donghyuck about something when I went to my room to grab my wallet. When I came back down, they were shouting at each other.” He shrugged as if it was natural but Jeno found it hard to believe. Mark wasn’t an argumentative kind of person. “Anyway,” Nana continue, “I sat up at the front with Mark and Donghyuck sat in the back… I thought it was weird when Mark opened the door for Hyuckie. By the time we got here, Donghyuck tried to open his door and I just heard Mark _laughing_ when he told him he put the child locks on both back doors.” He took a seat beside the raven and finished, “They kept arguing so I left them alone.”

“Well, he must have done something low to make Mark do that,” Jeno mumbled, ignoring how close Jaemin was sitting to him.

“Yeah… Mark’s not the type to pick or finish a fight unless it has something to do with us.” Chenle piped in thoughtfully, leaning his chin onto his palm. “Are you sure you got into the right car? You might have left your best friend with some random stalker pedo.”

“Thank you, Chenle.” Mark called dryly, reaching over to hit the lilac haired boy on the side of his head. “It’s nice to know you think I’m a stalker pedo.”

“Now see?” A voice spoke from behind him. “That makes a lot of sense. First, you gawked shamelessly when I walked by, and then you tried to lock me in your car when I didn’t return your advances. That’s the makings of a stalker if I’ve ever seen one.”

“Your advances, huh?” Jaemin grinned. “You’ve got a crush on Donghyuckie? I knew you’d like him! He’s great!”

“I do _not_ have a crush on him!” Mark said hastily, eyes wide and a light blush lighting up across the bride of his nose. He flopped down into the seat beside Chenle and buried his face in his hands. “You said he was nice but he’s a demon! The first words out of his mouth were: _I really can’t tell if you’re a boy or a girl_.” Chenle snickered at that but Mark wasn’t done. “Who _says_ things like that to people they don’t even know?”

“Honest people.” Donghyuck quipped easily, taking the only vacant seat next to Jaemin. “I can’t be condemned for speaking my mind. And you shouldn’t be one to talk. What kind of person locks someone innocent in their car the minute they first meet?” He smirked as an evil glint flashed in his eyes.

“I-Innocent?!” Mark burst out incredulously.

“I think I agree with him, Mark.” Chenle said mildly. “This wouldn’t be the first time you were mistaken for a girl. Don’t forget… you were cast as the female lead in a play back in middle school and you _agreed_ to it. _That’s_ what I find weird about the whole thing.”

“Really?” Jaemin’s eyes lit up. “Who’d you play?”

“Sleeping Beauty.” Jeno responded with a smirk in Mark’s direction. “The girls thought you looked pretty.” He continued ruthlessly.

“So did the guys.” Chenle added dryly.

By this time, Mark was flushed bright red and he glared at Donghyuck sitting across from him. The other merely kept his smirk. “Interesting.” He said, amusement coloring his voice. Turning to Chenle, he asked. “Do you have pictures of him playing Sleeping Beauty?”

“Even better.” Chenle grinned. “His mother’s always willing to share his moments of glory.” He looked at Jaemin imploringly. “We should all go to Mark’s place during the holidays! I think it’s about time you met Mark’s mom. She’s the best.”

Jeno felt a slight pain in his chest at that, but he hid it well.

“But Hyuckie’s only staying for a week and a half,” Jaemin pouted. “He’s going home early on Christmas Eve to make it for Christmas dinner and stuff with his family. Maybe we can go to Mark’s this Saturday? Is that okay?” He looked over at Mark with barely concealed excitement and expectation. Jeno could see the blonde’s mind going blank at the other’s sparkling eyes.

“Uh… sure?”

“Cool!” The brunet grinned, turning to smile at his best friend. “Ah! Hyuckie, this is Chenle–” He gestured to the smiling lilac haired male.

“Nice to meet you!”

“–and this is Jeno!” Jaemin continued, nodding his head at Jeno and leaning back so that he didn’t cover their view of Donghyuck. The latter had striking red hair and tan skin. His eyes held a mischievous gleam whenever they landed on Mark. With Jeno though, Donghyuck’s eyes looked like they were analyzing him through and through.

The redhead broke their eye contact first as he grabbed the menu, scanned the contents, and aimed a smirk at Mark. “You’re buying, aren’t you, Mark Lee? In that case, I’ll order the chicken fillet burger combo with an extra side of fries, a blueberry muffin, and a bottle of spring water.”

Mark banged his head against the table with a groan.

 

* * *

 

 

Lami was adamant that he take Jaemin to the Christmas dance despite the fact that it was quite clearly impossible when the other already had a date.

Her constant whines throughout the two days following Monday night put Jeno in a foul mood by the time Thursday rolled around the corner. At the back of his mind, he was glad the other students at school had the sense to forge a path for him to avoid making his mood worse.

He was notorious for his temper, he knew. Teachers let him get away with it most of the time because he was brilliant in all of his classes. Students heard of his feats as a rebellious elementary and middle school child and knew better than to ignite the short string to his temper.

With Mark and Chenle, Jeno had tried throughout high school to keep his temper in check and to be as amiable as possible if his mind would allow it and it had worked – to an extent. Girls and a few guys liked him, while most guys wanted to be friends with him. It was a routine he got used to and after some time. All of that was pushed to the back of his mind when he snarled at the slightest provocation, glared at the faintest hint of happiness and stormed out on a handful of separate occasions including dinner the other night at The Grand Avenue when yet another sophomore girl came up to him and asked him to go to the dance in front of Nana.

They should _all_ know better.

He didn’t go to dances.

It really wasn’t that hard a concept to understand.

“Kicked a baby recently?” Jaemin fell in step beside him with his bag hanging off one shoulder. Jeno grunted, making the other peer up at him cautiously. He frowned. “You’re not going to yell at me, are you?”

The raven sighed. “What are you talking about, Nana?”

Jaemin crossed his arms defensively and was jostled slightly by a boy heading in the opposite direction. Could these people open their stupid eyes and watch where they were going? Jeno sighed and tugged the other closer to his side by the elbow, glaring at people to forge a path through the hallways. The brunet looked at him quickly with slightly pink cheeks before he answered smoothly, “You’ve been acting like a wild boar for the past few days. Everybody is afraid you’re going to bite their heads off if they accidentally step in your path and you told some girl to ‘move it’ and she practically ran right into a wall because she was so scared!”

Jeno didn’t know why any of that mattered. “Good.” He muttered smugly, throwing his locker door open with a twist of the lock. “Maybe if everyone’s afraid, they’ll leave me alone.”

He thought that would shut the other up, but if anything, Jaemin became even more worked up. “Why are you being so antisocial? Tomorrow is the last day of school before Christmas break and you’ve made it through today. Why can’t you just be happy? It’s almost Christmas! I don’t understand why you’re suddenly acting like your heart has shriveled up and died!”

“Suddenly?” He tossed his binder in his locker and grabbed his jacket with a harsh tug. “You don’t have the right to say things like that. You don’t even know _anything_. I met you three weeks ago, Nana.” He dragged his jacket over his shoulders and glared at Jaemin coolly. “You don’t know how I usually am. Antisocial? That’s me in a nutshell. I’m not like Mark or Chenle… I don’t do team sports and I’m not the class clown. I like being _by myself_ so do me a favor and stop trying to understand. We’ll both just end up disappointed.”

Jeno slammed his locker door shut and started for the exit, leaving Jaemin to gape at him like a fish.

He didn’t hear the other’s footsteps coming after him as the door to the school slammed shut. Half of him was relieved that he wouldn’t have to deal with the brunet talking his ear off. The other half of him was disappointed Jaemin gave up so quickly.

He walked straight to his car and waited for Lami to come out, but this time, he hoped he wouldn’t see Nana coming this way. It was Thursday and Jeno knew he worked. Three weeks ago on the dot, he had met Na Jaemin. He knew the brunet worked Thursdays as a result. After all, Jaemin was late for work the day they met. He supposed he could have been blamed for that too.

The words he said to the other rewound and played again in his head. The grip he had on his keys made his knuckles turn white. He knew Jaemin talked a lot and he knew the brunet was nosy, but he didn’t deserve the brunt of Jeno’s anger. Jaemin didn’t do anything. Never once did he ask Jeno if he was going to the dance. Never once did Jaemin ask the whys and the whats. Jeno didn’t have a reason for going off on him like that.

That still didn’t explain why he was pissed off whenever he saw Jaemin’s face behind his eyelids.

His phone gave a jerk in his pocket and he answered the call with a gruff, “What?”

_“Jeno! I’ve got a ride with Yumi today so you can go home without me! Tell daddy for me, okay?”_

The irritation he felt increased before he sighed patiently. At the corner of his eyes, he saw Jaemin walking home with a boy just slightly taller than he was. Jeno scoffed and turned away. “If you’re coming home late, you’ve got to tell dad yourself, kid. You know he worries and I’m not going to make up any excuses for you.”

Lami giggled at the other end of the line. _“Yeah, yeah. Understood! Thanks, brother!”_

“Whatever.” He snapped his phone shut before he made his way to the driver’s side of the car and his hand paused on the handle so that his eyes could search for the annoying brunet. He hadn’t made it very far. In fact, Jaemin was walking incredibly slowly. He could only see Jaemin’s brown head of hair bobbing slightly because other cars were obstructing his view, but he looked like he was taking his sweet time. Was the other trying to piss him off? Jeno shook his head and yanked the door open.

It wasn’t until he started up the car that Jaemin came into view from behind the cars with the taller boy walking with him. The raven could feel the heat still thrumming on his skin but his ire waned into an incredulous sickness when he saw the blood on Jaemin’s knees.

He was out of the car in the next second and in front of the brunet a moment later.

The taller boy looked surprised to see him but Jaemin showed no signs of it. He was looking away from Jeno and out at the soccer field. “I’m fine.” Jaemin said curtly, before he could force out a word, and walked past him down the sidewalk. “Just go home. That’s what antisocial people do.”

Jeno ignored his jeer, ignored the tall boy, and blocked Jaemin’s path with a scowl. “You’re bleeding.” His knees were scraped, the skin pink and raw on one and torn and bleeding on the other. He snatched the brunet’s hands up and breathed out a tight breath when he saw identical red cuts on Jaemin’s palms. “What the hell did you do?” He hissed darkly. “I saw you less than fifteen minutes ago!”

Jaemin’s eyes met his then, cold and hard brown he never pegged him for. “I tripped.” He said blandly, tugging his hands away. “Now if you’ll excuse me.” He grabbed his bag from the tall boy with a thankful smile before shooting Jeno a pointed look. “–I’ve got to go to work. I don’t want to be late again.”

He started to limp away but Jeno caught him by the elbow, almost immediately letting go when he winced. He grabbed the brunet’s wrist and twisted his arm slightly to see red lines on his forearms similar to the ones on his palms. Jeno hissed out another breath. “You have got to be kidding me. You’re not going to work like this. You have to treat these.” He shot the gawking tall boy a dark glare. “Get lost. You’re not needed anymore.”

“Jeno!” Jaemin hit him with his open palm, wincing a second later.

The tall boy shuffled his feet before he looked at Jaemin worriedly, “Are you going to be okay with him, Jae? I don’t have club activities today. I can walk you if Jeno is bothering you.”

_Bothering him?_

Jeno shot the tall boy an incredulous glare but he merely straightened his back defiantly. The raven barely caught the tremble in the boy’s arms, but he saw it. Internally, he smirked.

Jaemin flashed the taller male a grateful smile before shaking his head. “Jeno wouldn’t hurt a fly. We’re fine. Thank you, Binnie.” He waved as the taller turned on his knees and walked back toward the school with a smile. Jeno caught another glimpse of his torn knee before he tugged the brunet’s book bag off his shoulder none too gently, steering him by the waist to his car. The door was still thrown open.

The brunet wiggled out of his grasp and looked like he wanted to put his hands on his hips if his palms weren’t raw and skinned. “I have to go to work, Jeno.” He said firmly, holding his hand out for his bag. “If you want to help, you can drive me there.”

“Don’t be stubborn.” The raven growled, leaving Jaemin standing in the middle of the student parking lot with a firm set to his lips. He tossed the bag into the back of his car before looking back at the other. Jaemin had his arms crossed over his chest. If he was trying to look serious, it wasn’t working. The folded arms merely displayed just how injured he was with pink and red kneecaps and harsh pink lines on his forearms.

From over the driver’s door, Jeno hissed dangerously, “Get your ass in this car right now or so help me, I’m going to pick you up and fucking throw you in. Either way, you’re going to have your ass planted on that seat in five minutes.”

“Do you really think foul language is going to persuade me to do what you want?” Jaemin said coolly with his feet still planted on the ground. “Do you really think I’m going to bow down to peer pressure because you’re threatening me with violence? In your words, Jeno, _fuck no_.”

He blinked at the brunet incredulously. The curse words did _not_ belong in Jaemin’s mouth… it sounded out of place and completely unnatural. Jaemin seemed to think so too, because his cheeks adopted a light blush and he squared his jaw stubbornly.

Jeno sighed and walked toward him slowly. Jaemin seemed to wince the closer he came. “I’m not going to hurt you.” He muttered resignedly, stuffing his hands in his pockets to prove his point. “Just get in the car, Nana. Have you even thought this through? Your hands are skinned alive and your knees look even worse. Do you really think your boss is going to let you scare off his clients when you look like you’ve just been run over by a car?” He ran a hand through his hair as he watched Jaemin look down to his feet, lower lip wobbling like he was going to cry. It made Jeno’s stomach drop. “Look, give me the number to Thai Your Shoes. I’ll make the call, you can tell them what happened and they’ll give you the day off. There’s no way you can serve and clean like you usually do when your hands are like that.”

“I already booked tomorrow off for the dance,” Jaemin said weakly, looking away from the raven’s gaze. “…I got the job because of my connection with Ten… I don’t want to let my boss and Ten down…”

“Do you think any of that matters?” His fury was still a high simmer. “Fine. If you want to be stubborn, then be my guest. I’ll drive you to your work and wait for you to get kicked out by your boss if that makes you feel better. No sane person would allow you to work when you look like _that_.”

Jaemin flashed a glare at the condescending statement before he nodded and took a step toward Jeno.

“Don’t _move_.” Jeno hissed, ignoring the surprise in the brunet’s eyes.

When he moved to gather the Jaemin’s lithe form into his arms, the latter stepped away with a squeak and a dark blush over his cheeks. “Wh-what are you _doing_? I can walk just fine!” He turned quickly and half-jogged towards the car.

Jeno fought the urge to run a hand down his face with annoyance.

Jaemin was so much more trouble than he was worth.

 

* * *

 

As expected, his boss took one look at him and sent him home with a firm ‘if you don’t think you can work, call me so that I can find a substitute, okay?’

Jaemin ducked into the car with a pout on his face and when the raven opened his mouth, he glared sharply. “ _Don’t you dare say it_.” At Jeno’s frown, he waved his hand in the air dismissively. “I thought you were going to say ‘I told you so’.”

Jeno rolled his eyes. “I’m not that immature. I just wanted to say we’re going to my house. Dad should be home and he can help clean out your cuts.” At the questioning stare, he sighed, “He used to do them for me all the time when I got into trouble.”

The brunet scoffed and then grinned. “I’m not surprised. You look like a troublemaker.”

He ignored Jaemin, turning into his driveway before stopping the engine and unbuckling his seatbelt. He turned in time to see the brunet’s wistful smile. “What is it?”

“Your house is beautiful.” Jaemin said simply, honestly, as he turned back to gaze at it. “My house looked like yours.”

 _My house looked like yours_.

Somehow, the sentence sounded so sad in Jeno’s ears.

“My dad’s not home,” The raven said quickly, getting out of the car with his keys in his hands. Before Jaemin could ask, he finished smoothly, “His car isn’t in the driveway. He probably went to pick some stuff up for dinner.” Jaemin opened his door before Jeno could get to it, so he watched as the brunet gingerly unfolded himself from the seat and closed the door behind him. “He’ll probably be home soon.” Jeno said as an afterthought.

“I have first-aid stuff at my place.” Jaemin said quickly, bouncing on the balls of his feet nervously as Jeno opened the front door. “Donghyuck’s probably all alone at home anyway so he can help me clean out m–”

“Don’t be stupid.” Jeno pinned him down with a patronizing stare. “You’ve waited long enough and who knows what you’ve got festering with all that blood.” He smirked at the Jaemin’s wince and watched as the other slowly sat on the kitchen chair, examining his leg. “It’ll be fine. I’ll be quick and drive you home after I’m done.”

He walked out of the room to grab the first-aid kit from under the bathroom sink and when he came back out, the brunet was mumbling, “No wonder Jeno looked so disgusted. It _does_ look gross.”

Jeno snorted quietly, watching as Jaemin’s head snapped up in surprise. He grinned feebly when the raven knelt down in front of him.

“Would you look at that,” Jaemin teased in an airy voice, brown eyes twinkling with mirth. “I’ve got Lee Jeno down on his knees. Nobody would believe me.”

“ _I_ wouldn’t believe you.” Jeno quipped easily, brushing the small bits of dirt and rock away from the cuts on the brunet’s knees. He wiped the cut clean before he began disinfecting. The smell of alcohol was pungent in the air. “What the hell did you do anyway? One knee torn and bloody, the other scratched raw.”

Jaemin stiffened again and the raven took it as a wince of pain. “I told you,” He said carefully. “I tripped.”

“ _Right_.” Jeno said offhandedly, slowly bandaging the wound. “On what?”

“On linoleum floor first.” He paused slightly, smiling sheepishly. “Cement second.”

“You fell _twice_?” The raven looked up with a frown. “That explains why this looks so nasty. You’ve got to be careful, idiot. Watch where you’re going. You’re so weak, I’m surprised you didn’t break yourself in half.”

Jaemin laughed lightly before promising to be more careful. Jeno nodded and, finished with the worst knee, shifted towards the other, beginning the same process. It continued like that for a couple of minutes. Then the brunet asked him for a cotton ball so that he could begin cleaning his palms, but he merely shushed him and continued. The other would probably do this wrong anyway and he didn’t have the patience to dress the wounds twice.

When he finished up both knees and forearms, he took a look at Jaemin’s palms. A snort from above made him look up, an eyebrow raised, only to see Jaemin with a light blush on his cheeks and grinning slightly. “You know, this could be really romantic if you were proposing to me.” His grin widened as he gestured at Jeno still on his knees, one of his hands clasped in between the raven’s.

The thought made a blush start at Jeno’s neck and he rolled his eyes when he heard the other giggle. “You’re such an idiot.” He muttered, focusing intently on Jaemin’s hands. Jaemin laughed, “I know.”

Jeno stands up as soon as he’s done, packing away the medical supplies as the brunet marveled at his handiwork. “Wow, these look perfect, Dr. Lee!” Jaemin beamed. “How did you learn how to do this?”

“I have a curious little sister.” He said, snapping the clasp on the box. “The idiot tends to be reckless with her life. Just like you.”

“Hey!”

The raven turned to put the kit back where he got it until he felt soft fingertips brush the back of his hand. His eyes flashed to Jaemin’s and the other looked at him with that ever present blush on his cheeks and a small but radiant smile. “Thank you, Jeno.” His breath caught in his throat, not because of the three words Jaemin said, but because of the way he was looking at him. Jaemin’s soft brown eyes were warm and affectionate; the small, shy smile on his lips was grateful and sweet… but it was the blush, the smooth, faint pink color that stretched the expanse of the bones of his cheeks that made Jeno’s stomach stir with warmth.

Jeno turned away with a grunt and stowed the kit under the sink, waiting two beats to calm himself.

 

* * *

 

The first words out of Lee Donghyuck’s mouth when Jaemin called were: _“Where are you?”_

Jaemin laughed before greeting his best friend enthusiastically, “Hi Hyuckie! You’re on speaker and I’m over at Jeno’s house! I um…” He looked over hastily before a weak grin appeared on his lips. “I _may_ have gotten into a _little_ … trouble… but it’s okay since Jeno helped bandage my cuts!”

 _“Cuts?”_ Donghyuck’s voice was dark with promises. _“What the hell did you do? When are you coming back? Mark Lee is here and he’s being fifty shades more annoying than you are.”_ From somewhere in the background, Mark shouted with wonder, _“I didn’t know you lived in a hotel, Jaemin!”_

Jaemin merely shook his head. “It’s a long story.” He looked over to Jeno and raised an eyebrow quizzically before addressing his best friend once more. “Jeno’s going to drive me over soon. I was thinking I could pick up some food. Are you guys hungry? Mark, are you planning on staying over?”

 _“I wouldn’t mind.”_ Mark’s voice was still muffled in the background. _“Jeno, are you going to stay over at Jaemin’s for dinner?”_

He had a negative response at the tip of his tongue but the hopeful gleam in the brunet’s eyes made the words still in his mouth. It didn’t look like Lami was coming home anytime soon and he really didn’t want his father eating dinner alone. Thinking quickly, he held his hand out for the phone. Jaemin gave it to him curiously. “Why don’t you drive Donghyuck over to my place?” He offered coolly, turning away from Jaemin’s beaming face. “I can order pizza and you can pick it up on the way. Nana’s isn’t exactly the biggest place.”

 _“Donghyuck’s paying!”_ Mark hollered quickly, yelping after a muffled thump.

 _“The hell I’m paying. Society dictates you should pay for the meal.”_ Donghyuck said, and Jeno could imagine a smirk on the redhead’s mouth at his tone of voice. _“Oh don’t frown, Princess. You knew this was coming.”_

_“But I already paid last time! And society only says that if I’m taking you out on a date!”_

_“Well, you are.”_ The amusement in Donghyuck’s voice seemed to grow, and he shared a curious look with Jaemin at that. _“You_ did _ask me to the dance.”_

“What?” Jaemin squealed suddenly, grabbing the phone and holding it to his ear even though it was still on speaker. “Mark, you’re taking Hyuckie to the dance? That’s perfect! I was going to ask Jeno to take him but this just works even better!”

Jeno looked at him pointedly, unimpressed, and the brunet merely grinned before he stuck out his tongue cheekily.

 _“I was being_ polite _, Donghyuck!”_ Mark protested, and Jeno could picture his best friend’s blushing face. _“You said you weren’t doing anything tomorrow and then asked_ me _what I was doing while Jaemin went to the dance and so I_ jokingly _said I’d be taking you there! I didn’t actually think you’d be_ interested _! I wasn’t planning on going to the dance!”_

 _“Why not?”_ The redhead said offhandedly. _“I don’t see what the problem is. We’re just two guys going to the dance together. Really, Mark Lee. You don’t have to be so sensitive. You’re the most sensitive person I’ve ever met. Jeno, we’ll be there in time for dinner. Don’t order pizza. Mark will do the honors.”_

_“DONGHYUCK, I AM NOT–”_

The line went dead and Jaemin held it in front of him with wide eyes as if he never saw a phone before in his life. Then he turned to Jeno with an equally shocked expression. “Donghyuck and Mark…? Hyuckie’s first boyfriend!”

The look of glee on the brunet’s face amused him. “You’re getting ahead of yourself.” Jeno noted wryly.

“Mark’s taking Hyuckie out on a date! It’s so romantic!”

“He didn’t sound like he wanted to take Donghyuck out on a date.” Jeno pointed out slowly. “Besides, just because two people go on one date together doesn’t mean they’re actually together.” He paused slightly as a thought occurred to him. “Are you and Kang Chanhee dating now? He’s taking you to the dance after all.”

“Eh? Oh no, we’re just going as friends!” Jaemin paused before his eyes narrowed. “Ah, _I_ see what you did there!” The edge of ire in his voice made the raven hide a smirk.

Jeno walked over to the living room couch and sat down as Jaemin pulled up the kitchen chair and sat on the other side of the coffee table. There was a long pause, easy and comfortable, before the brunet muttered, “I’m not ready for that.”

Jaemin propped his knees up on the chair, settling his chin on his knees. “Hyuckie tells me all the time how much trouble relationships are. It’s just easier to be friends, right?” He wrapped his arms around his knees, shrugging awkwardly. “I think people think I’m weird. They act weird, anyway, whenever they find out I lost both of my parents… they act really careful. But I don’t need them to be careful! I’m completely fine!”

He looked up at Jeno then, cautious. “You treated me like that too.”

The statement surprised him. “Like what?”

The brunet bit the inside of his cheek. “Just… differently. You looked at me differently when you came over to tutor me. You felt sorry for me. I could see it all over your face. I don’t need that, Jeno. I don’t need you to pity or take care of me. I just need you to be my friend.”

He looked down to his knees, avoiding Jeno’s gaze. The raven couldn’t stop the blunt words. “You act.” Jaemin jerked in surprise. “Not always, but everyone can tell when you’re faking your smiles. That’s why I was looking at you differently… because it’s ridiculous how terrible your facades are.”

“I don’t–”

Jeno stared pointedly, and the brunet snapped his lips shut. “You say you don’t need anyone to take care of you but you walk around recklessly, tripping on your face until you’re bloody and raw–”

“That was once!”

“–you’re defenseless and always roaming Seoul by yourself–”

“I have to work!”

“–and you’re naïve enough to leave all of your defenses down.”

“This is… can’t you just…” Jaemin’s indignation slipped, his eyes slipping closed with resignation as he sighed. “I don’t like fighting with you, Jeno, and it seems like that’s all we’ve been doing today. Can’t we just agree to disagree?”

“Screw that.” Jeno scowled.

“Fine!” Jaemin dropped his legs, folding his arms across his chest. His eyes narrowed darkly. “Okay, I get that you’re worried about me being an idiot, but stop making it seem like it’s your responsibility if I mess up! I’m grateful for your help with these bandages, but I’m a big boy. I can take care of myself! I’ve been doing just fine taking care of myself all these years. Stop acting like my parent and just be my friend.”

The raven could feel his heart thumping in his chest with his anger and just looking at the other all bandaged up didn’t make matters any better. Jaemin was an idiot if he thought he was going to let this go. Jeno understood that he lost his parents at a young age but did he really have such a warped idea of friendship?

Jeno clenched his fist on his knees, glaring. “What kind of friends have _you_ had? Friends are allowed to care, stupid. They’re supposed to tell you things you don’t want to hear and–” The sound of a car door slamming shut broke him out of his tirade. He swore under his breath. What kind of poetic trash was he spouting? He ran a hand down his face and exhaled sharply. “Never mind. Do what you want. I really don’t care.”

The doorbell went off and he pushed off the couch without looking at Jaemin. He went to answer the door.

But before he could leave the room entirely, he caught the other’s mumbling voice. “You’re a good friend, Jeno. Thank you.”

 

* * *

 

Jeno didn’t have to know Jaemin tried to chase after him, only to slip and fall by the exit, therefore skinning his arms and knees on the school’s floors before hitting the door and scratching his knee on the pavement.

 

* * *

 

 

They were all going to the dance.

Everybody except him.

He didn’t think Mark was serious about going with Donghyuck, but when asked, the blond merely rolled his eyes and blushed. He hadn’t been planning on it until the redhead mentioned the Sleeping Beauty photos and under duress, Mark conceded. Secretly, Jeno thought Mark was intrigued by the blackmailer. Donghyuck was unlike anyone the both of them had ever met and the redhead definitely gave his best friend a run for his money. Literally.

He gazed out of the window of his bedroom for a second before he dropped his legs from his desk and spun his computer chair around to look at his closet. The suit he wore for Lami’s piano recital a few months ago hung from his closet door and he glared at it with contempt he didn’t know he had in him.

It was taunting him, daring him, just like everyone else.

Mark had frowned and said, “Even _I’m_ going to the dance. With _Donghyuck_ no less. You have to go, Jeno. I need at least _one_ sane person at the dance to get me through the night.” He’d paused and waited for an agreement, but when he didn’t get one, Mark had continued, “Besides, you own me for going to Lami’s recital this year. You know how I feel about that massive crush she has on me. Speaking of that recital, you can wear that suit again.”

Jeno had merely flipped him the bird.

Chenle hadn’t exactly taunted him into going to the dance, but his obnoxious declaration over the school intercom during the lunch hour made _everyone_ want to go to the dance, if only to see the outcome.

There had been an ear-splitting two seconds of feedback over the PA before muffled voices of secretaries had cried, “Chenle, stop! Get down from there!”

And then _his_ voice appeared, as cheerful and unapologetic as always: “Hello everyone! I trust you lunch hour is going _superbly_! I will keep this message short, because there are four beautiful secretaries vying for my attention–yes, ma’am, I do think you look beautiful today and every day.” There was a beat of muffled sounds before he called, “Huang Renjun!” Then another pause as a muffled thump sounded over the intercom.

He was speaking normally as if he wasn’t disrupting the lunch period. “Huang Renjun, if you’re listening–which I know you are–then I’m asking you right now in front of the whole school: go to the school dance with me! I’ve asked you more times than I can count on my fingers and toes and I’ll probably ask you every time I see you from now until 7 P.M. tonight. Go to the dance with me. I have flowers with your name on it–I’m planning to give them to you whether or not you go with me tonight–and I have a driver and contrary to what you think, I am _very_ sure about this. So um… text me! Ma’am, ow! Geez! I need a few more seconds–ow! Renjun, will you go to the dance with me already? Ow! All right, all right.”

“You are in _so_ much trouble, Mr. Zhong!” was the shrill voice of one of the secretaries before there was another muffled thump. The intercom went silent. Then the whole cafeteria erupted in applause and laughter and when Jeno looked over at Renjun, the honey brunet was running a hand through his hair with a faint blush on his cheeks and a small grin on his face.

Jungwoo and Lucas took turns asking him if he changed his mind.

Renjun urged him to go and at least dance _one_ dance with Jaemin.

Every other person still tried to get him to go to the dance and even his father hinted at it. Well, if the cauliflower infested dinner was anything to go by. Lami probably told him all about the dance and everybody’s insistence that he go. Unlike everybody else, though, his father had opted to prompt him by cooking a dinner he would hate.

He probably would have gone if Jaemin asked him to go.

It was perplexing. He didn’t care who Jaemin went with as long as the smiling brunet wanted him there. Was that strange?

He glanced down at his watch. It was 7:43 P.M. The dance had been in full-swing for forty-three minutes.

“Jeno?” His father stuck his head past the door. At his grunt, the older male came into his room and looked at his closet in amusement. He didn’t comment on it though, thankfully. Instead, he ambled into the room with a faux-indifferent gleam in his eyes. He smiled. “What do you say to a good ol’ game of Monopoly with your old man? It’s not like you’re doing anything special on the last day before your break.”

Jeno glared daggers. “I know what you’re doing. You can stop taunting me about it. It’s already started. I’m not going.”

From behind his back, his father produced the board game and grinned. “I’m being serious, Jeno. If you’re not going to that dance, we’re going to play a _long_ game of Monopoly. I’ve never played it with just two people, but I’m sure I could drag it out.”

Jeno looked at him closely before he settled on his bed and waited expectantly for his father to start setting up the game. With an incredulous exhale, his father unfolded the board game with a shake of his head and tossed him the train before he chose his own player, the dog. “You’re stubborn just like your mother.” The older male laughed with warm eyes. “She would never admit to wanting to go, even if she did.”

Jeno almost preened at the compliment.

“Dances are lame. Why would I want to go to a school dance with hundreds of people I don’t know when I don’t like dancing?” He rolled the die and moved his piece up until he landed on the railroad.

“Because your friends are going.” His father said simply. “Friends can make even a simple dance fun.”

“I’m not going to dance with Chenle.” Jeno said dryly, sending him a disbelieving look. “Besides, if we wanted to have fun, we’d just hang out at The Grand Avenue or something. Mark doesn’t like dances either and normally Chenle wouldn’t give a shit.”

“Language, Jeno.” His father said offhandedly. “But from what Lami’s told me, both of them are going. Even Mark’s found himself a date at the last minute. She’s not very happy about that…” He added vaguely before he blinked back at him. “What I’m trying to say is, instead of spending your last Friday night before Christmas break with your old man playing _this_ terrible board game, spend it with your friends. It’s the last day of school. You don’t want to spend it with me.

Jeno looked at him slowly. “I like spending time with you.”

At this, the older male beamed. “You’ve got all Christmas break to be hounded with family activities. Spend this one with your friends. You may not want to go to the dance because you don’t like dancing, but that doesn’t mean you _can’t_ dance. Besides, isn’t it worth it if there’s a special someone waiting for you there?”

He scowled and rolled the die, landing on the blue question mark. “Jaemin’s not waiting for me. He’s got a date.”

“You’re his friend, aren’t you?” His father said simply. “It’s not illegal to ask your friend for one dance. He’s going with his class’ president–” When Jeno looked up at him sharply, the older male merely sent him a looked that explained with one word: _Lami_. “–If I remember him from that Parent’s Day last year, he wouldn’t mind in the least. In fact, he probably couldn’t refuse _anyone_ the request to dance with Jaemin.”

“Yeah, well, I’ve made it perfectly clear that I don’t go to dances.” Jeno said with finality. “So I’m not going. The dance is halfway over anyway.”

“You’ll make it with plenty of time to dance at least four times with Jaemin. Don’t you want to go?” His father looked at him intently. “You know, your mom would probably throw you out of the house by force if she knew you liked someone but your pride got in the way.”

Jeno swallowed the lump in his throat when an image of his mother flashed in front of him. “He’s just my friend.”

“Then it’s no big deal, is it? Besides, Jeno, one dance isn’t going to kill you.”

“I don’t want to take the chance.”

His father snorted and pointed at the Chance card pile he had yet to pick. “I just don’t want you to regret it. It may just be a dance, but do you want to wonder for the rest of your life about the ‘ _what if_ ’s? It’s a terrible feeling. Besides, Jaemin seems like a very nice boy. You may not see the point in going to a dance with hundreds of people you don’t know, but that _one_ special person makes it worth it, don’t you think?”

Jeno picked up one of the Chance cards from the pile and twirled it around his fingers. “I don’t know…”

His father looked at him carefully. “You don’t have to be certain about anything besides the fact that you want to be there for him. Jaemin’s going to have a good night tonight, but he’ll have a great night if you’re there. Aren’t you his best friend?”

_“You’re a good friend, Jeno.”_

Jeno snorted distractedly. “Hardly. His best friend is with him right now, flown all the way from Jeju. He doesn’t need me there.”

“He probably doesn’t _need_ you there, but he wants you there.” The older male said carefully. “You’re his closest friend at Seoul Academy.”

Jeno sent him an unimpressed look. “You’ve really got to stop gossiping about me to Lami. It’s getting creepy how much you know.”

His father laughed. “I like knowing about your friends. You’re not one to do much sharing.” He said wryly, grinning before he took the Chance card from his son’s hand. “Besides, it’s not every day someone’s caught your attention. Your mom would be ecstatic.” He flipped the card over to show the _Get out of jail free_ card and then grinned. “Get a move on, kid. You have an hour to get that suit on and drive over to your boy.”

“He’s not my boy.” He grunted, getting off of his bed and heading over to his closet. “You people really have to get that through your skulls.”

His father laughed again. “ _We_ don’t need to. I’ve been calling Jaemin your special person for the past hour and you haven’t even bothered to correct me.” Jeno sent him a dark look but the older male merely grinned. “Think about it.” He gathered the board game into its box and stood. “Have fun son.”

When his father left, Jeno tugged his shirt over his head and paused thoughtfully.

_Special person, huh?_

 

* * *

 

This was so fucking degrading.

He pulled at his tie until it was a little looser around his neck and cursed his father for practically choking him with the damn thing. It was just a stupid school dance being held in the main auditorium of the school and yet the whole student body was going completely insane over it. He heard about themed dances but did they really expect everybody to wear suits and dresses for a three hour social function that held no real worth?

There was forty minutes left to the dance, his watch told him.

With a sigh, he entered the foyer, deposited his fare, and tried not to cringe away at the high-pitched cries of the girls that had just caught sight of him.

“OH MY GOSH, IT’S JENO!”

There was a series of accompanying squeaks as he strolled toward the auditorium where the lights were somewhat dimmed and a pounding beat vibrated from the walls to the soles of his feet and up into his chest.

Vaguely, he heard another shrill voice. “He came alone. I can’t believe it! He came alone! That means he’s up for grabs!”

The hell he was.

The lights were so dim, he couldn’t make out any faces and since he didn’t want to go near any of those faceless bodies, he opted to sit on the chairs by the buffet tables. How did it come to this? He had a scenario in his head that was far easier than it actually was. He’d assumed it would merely take him walking into the doors for Jaemin or Mark to see him and the rest would be history.

Another song passed before he noticed the cluster of girls standing in the corner pointing and giggling in his direction. They started hiding behind each other when he glanced over. Jeno fought the urge to run a hand down his face.

“Jeno.”

He looked up into the eyes of Lee Donghyuck and he didn’t think he would be so relieved. “Donghyuck.” He nodded. “Where’s Mark?”

“You’re supposed to ask where Jaemin is.” The redhead said dryly, settling down in the chair beside him. “But to answer your question, Mark had to use the little girl’s room.”

He snorted at the last statement and slouched to put his elbows on his knees.

“You dressed his wounds.” It was a statement, not a question, so Jeno didn’t respond. Instead, he let his eyes drift from Donghyuck’s to scan over the room at large. “He wondered why you didn’t want to go today. Nobody thought you would come and yet, here you are.”

“Here I am.” His voice was sardonic. “If he wanted to know why, he should have asked me.”

“Jaemin didn’t want you to get mad at him.” Donghyuck said simply. “He figured making you go with me would have done the job, but couldn’t exactly do much when Mark asked me first.” He paused for a long moment as a group of people came up to grab some drinks, but when they left, he continued as if he hadn’t been interrupted. “He talks about you a lot.”

“People tend to do that.” It would have sounded cocky to anybody else, but for some reason, Jeno thought Donghyuck would understand.

“People do.” Donghyuck said evenly. “You’re quite the topic at the dance. For girls and some guys anyway. Jaemin isn’t like most people. He doesn’t have high hopes for many, but he has high hopes for you.”

Jeno swallowed the lump in his throat before he turned to look at the redhead. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“How did Jaemin’s father die?” Donghyuck asked bluntly.

“Cancer.” He answered immediately, narrowing his eyes with suspicion. “Diagnosed before he was born and died when he was two. What does that have to do with anything?”

Donghyuck ignored his question, instead continuing, “What about his mother?”

“Car crash when he was eleven.” Jeno said slowly, the memory of the brunet’s sad face flashing in his mind. “The car exploded and his mother crawled over him and got the brunt of the explosion.”

“His grandparents?”

“Old age… three months ago. His grandmother died first, while his grandfather followed three days later.”

“His siblings?”

“He doesn’t have any siblings.” Jeno frowned.

“His friends?”

“I haven’t heard anybody but you.”

“Why are you here?” Donghyuck asked softly.

He didn’t pause and said simply. “Because he is.”

The response took the raven by surprise but the sheer honesty was not lost on either of them. Jeno turned away with a scowl and waited for the taunting to begin. But Donghyuck surprised him and merely said, “Here comes my date. Don’t wait too long. Jaemin has a lot of patience but with your pride, who knows.” At the frown on his face, the redhead arched an eyebrow. “I could see it all over your face the first time we met. You’re that easy to read, Jeno.”

“You made it!” Mark grinned widely. “About time, too. Donghyuck’s been driving me crazy.”

Donghyuck scoffed at that. “Like you weren’t happy I was scaring off all of your fangirls, Mark.”

“He gave them some kind of death glare and they all stopped asking me for a dance!” Mark said with an amazed gleam in his eyes. “I’d let you dance with him so he can scare your fangirls and fanboys off but I’m keeping him all to myself. He’s lucky! Besides, it’s not like your _fantastic_ mood isn’t scaring everybody off anyway.” The blond joked. “Are you looking for Jaemin?”

“Hardly.” Jeno scoffed which earned him a rough kick from Donghyuck. “He’s with Chanhee, isn’t he?”

“He was.” Mark nodded slowly. “… but the last time I saw him, he was dancing with Chenle. He’s been dancing with a lot of people, actually.” He said thoughtfully before his eyes met the raven’s. “I’m sure he could make room for you if you asked him, but with that huge head of yours–”

Jeno stood up and shot them both a dark look. “You two are hilarious.” He said dryly. “You’re made for each other.” With that, he pushed himself into the crowd, ignoring the hands that came dangerously close to his butt. It was a slow song… how the hell did people manage to grope him when they should be with their dates?

It took him far longer than necessary to locate the brunet in the arms of the tall boy from the other day. They were a respectable distance from each other but still too close for Jeno’s tastes.

His hands clenched into fists.

Trying to be civil, he tapped the boy on the shoulder and looked pointedly at Jaemin who was gaping at him. “I’m cutting in.” He declared coolly, leaving no room for arguments. The boy watched him for a second before he smiled and gave Jaemin’s hand a little squeeze.

“Thanks for the dance, Jae.” He grinned widely. Then he looked at Jeno. “He’s all yours.”

_All mine?_

He blinked at that before Jaemin looked at him curiously, putting his hands on the raven’s shoulders. “Hi, Jeno.” He grinned impishly, brown eyes watching him cheekily. “I can’t say I’m surprised you’re here.”

His hands stilled on the brunet’s waist and he narrowed his eyes. “What’s that supposed to mean?” The only reply he received was a laugh.

Jaemin smiled and swayed against him. The heat of the other’s body made him forget he was at a school dance. Was that normal? He couldn’t remember ever feeling so lightweight with another person before other than his sister, like he didn’t have to impress anyone. Would it always be like this?

Somehow, Jeno doubted that.

Because Jaemin was different.

From over the brunet’s shoulder, Jeno could see Chenle dancing with Renjun and a swarm of girls all around them, sighing. So he’d finally nabbed the senior, huh? As if he heard him, Chenle spun Renjun, looked over the honey brunet’s shoulder, and smirked at him… a smirk that rivaled one of his. Jeno fought off the grin.

 _Cheeky brat_.

Jaemin drummed a tune at the back of his neck before raising an eyebrow. “Lami, Mark, Chenle, and Hyuckie said you would come without fail. Cutting it close, huh?” He teased.

“Well I’m here, aren’t I?” The raven grunted.

Jaemin nodded and smiled before he murmured distractedly, “You look very pretty.” He raised an eyebrow at this and the brunet merely grinned back impishly. “It’s true.”

“You should speak for yourself.”

“I look like a mummy.” There was a faint blush on Jaemin’s cheeks as he gestured down at his arms. The sleeves of his white shirt and blazer were pulled up to his elbows to reveal skin still wrapped up in bandages. Jeno’s stomach twisted just the slightest when he remembered just how terrible the other looked yesterday.

“Where’s your date?” Jeno asked coolly as another song came on and the brunet didn’t let him go.

Jaemin bit his lip. “There was a commotion with a group earlier and he left to deal with it with the teachers.” He shrugged as if it didn’t bother him. “Poor Chanhee. He has duties even when school hours are over.” He looked at Jeno after a thoughtful pause and, almost shyly, asked, “Is… is it okay if I keep dancing with you?”

Jeno could feel his heart shudder in his chest at those words.

“It’s fine.” He murmured.

Silence fell between them as Jaemin hummed to the song. Somewhere along the way, he had stepped closer and hooked his arms around the raven’s neck. Their bodies were so close, there was only enough room to slide a tennis ball between them.

Jaemin was warm.

“I’m sorry I yelled at you yesterday.” The brunet’s voice was muffled against his shoulder. Jaemin pulled him closer, refusing to look him in the eyes. “I’m not… used to people caring so much or helping me. I’m not used to answering to people. It–” He bit his lip and the hand gripping him at the base of his neck tightened. “–I always thought I could take on the world by myself, especially when Hyuckie left me.”

“Thought?”

Jeno could feel Jaemin’s grin against his shoulder. “I can still take the world on by myself.” He said easily, lifting his head to grin at the raven. “I just think… maybe it would be fine to have a sidekick. You know, a wingman. You could be that wingman.” There was a glow to his cheeks. “That is… if you want to. We could be best friends, just you and me. Us against the world.”

“Us against the world, huh?” Jeno said, snorting. “I’d probably have to do most of the work, but that’s okay. I can help make the… what was it? The intellectual world? Bow down to you.”

“You’re not as stupid as people say.” Jaemin nodded, pleased. “There may be hope for you yet. Besides, I’ll be the brains, and you’ll be the brawns. Together, we’ll have total world domination. All the world’s resources will be ours.”

“You’re a little too serious about this.” Jeno commented dryly.

“I do a lot of thinking when I’m home alone.” The brunet quipped easily, laughing softly under his breath. The song was coming to its end and in the dying seconds of the cords, Jaemin pressed a soft kiss on the raven’s cheek. Jeno could feel the tingle from where the other’s lips made contact travel from his neck to his toes. Jaemin grinned up at his shocked expression. “Thanks for the dances, Jeno!”

 _There’s one more song left_ , Jeno wanted to say, and as if hearing his heart’s voice, Jaemin extracted his arms and let them fall to his sides. “I promised Chanhee the last dance.”

The raven nodded and pocketed his hands in disappointment. Then a thought occurred to him and he narrowed his eyes on Jaemin’s surprised ones. “I hope you don’t thank everyone that dances with you like that.”

The brunet tilted his head back and laughed. “Nope.” He said easily. “Only my best friend!”

With that, Jaemin disappeared with a wave.

Jeno breathed out a sharp breath before weaving his way back toward the punch table, ignoring the requests for the last dance. It was late and he stayed far longer than any of them anticipated. It was best he went home now before Mark and Chenle met up with him and began the taunting.

_Best friend, huh…_

Could he?

The thought was an interesting concept in its own way that would require further exploration.

What was this boy doing to him?

“So you got ditched too, huh?”

He turned to face Mark, who had a wry smile on his face. Then he nodded back toward the dancing group, only to see Donghyuck and Jaemin dancing idiotically together. The sight surprised him, not because he was expecting Jaemin to dance with Chanhee, but because they were dancing with matching grins and weird moves.

And incredulous laugh escaped him and Mark followed with a chuckle.

“He ditched me for Donghyuck.”

“Well, no hard feelings.” Mark said with a grin, tucking his hands in his pockets as the both of them leaned against the wall. “Chanhee was still taking care of business so Jaemin would have been left out. Donghyuck sort of grabbed his hand, told me I was a horrible dancer, and left.”

Jeno snorted. “You’re a horrible dancer, huh?”

“Terrible.” The blond lied easily. “You know Donghyuck. It’s obvious he goes at his own pace… he does whatever he wants.” At this, Mark turned and looked at him carefully. “So… you and Jaemin?”

The raven sent him a sidelong glance. “Apparently we’re best friends.”

“Huh.” Mark looked back at the duo attracting much attention. “Jaemin’s taking my spot, is he? I should charge him for that. Being your best friend has its perks.”

“You’ve been hanging out with Donghyuck too much.” Jeno quipped wryly. “Watch, he’s going to become best friends with your mother and blackmail you for life.”

Mark groaned before he ran a hand through his hair. “That’s tomorrow huh?” They lapsed back into silence and merely watched the two boys on the dance floor. One had a dopey grin on his face, the other a mischievous one. “You know…” Mark said slowly. “Seeing Donghyuck dance with Jaemin like this just because he didn’t have a dance partner… it’s kind of cute.”

Jeno turned to see a soft, pleased expression on his best friend’s face.

He scoffed. “You’re disgusting.”

Mark merely laughed.

 

* * *

 

The crunch of his shoes against the sparse bits of snow on the ground sounded loud in his ears as he made his way to his mother. As he passed by Jaemin’s parents’ tombstones, he caught a glimpse of the bright oranges and reds of his flowers. Of course the brunet would choose obnoxious colors like _that_ to give to his parents for Christmas, he mused with a snort.

Respectfully, he bowed his head down toward them before continuing his way through the cemetery.

When he stood in front of her tombstone, he exhaled the breath he didn’t know he was holding.

“Merry Christmas, Mom.”

He placed the bundle of flowers amidst the faint dusting of snow on her tombstone and knelt down in front of her, brushing his fingers against her name like he always did when he saw her. After a moment, he sat back on his legs and blinked at the flowers.

“I hope you like these flowers.” He said slowly, fingering the dark pink roses amongst the purple daisies, white lilacs, and plum blossoms. “They’re different from the ones I usually get you. Nana thought you might like variety.” He paused thoughtfully. “He says it’s Christmas time and you’d probably like to feel the Christmas spirit here. I saw the flowers he brought for his parents. He brought _orange_ tulips among his flowers.”

He chuckled lowly, clasping his hands together in his lap. “I’d like to think I have a little more taste. I got these for you. Tell me if you like them better. I’ve been giving you the same flowers for years.” He inhaled slowly before saying, “Dad tells me I’m a lot like you. I’ve never liked change, so I figured you didn’t like it much either… but change isn’t always bad right?”

Jeno closed his eyes and thought back to her, feeling his heart swell with remembrance. “It’s been twelve Christmases without you. I… we started hanging photos of you on the Christmas tree. That’s another change that hasn’t been so bad. He–”

He paused again and said quietly in his mind, _Jaemin gave me the idea. The Christmas tree he has in his room is full of pictures of his parents and his grandparents. You should see it. It’s nice._

“It feels like you’re there with us.” He continued aloud. “I think I like it much better like that. Dad likes to cook your favorites for Christmas dinners. I told you that last year and the year before, didn’t I?”

_I wish you were here._

“Sometimes I feel like I can do this without you.” _Most times I still can’t believe you’re gone._

He inhaled shakily. “A lot of things have happened in the last month. I can’t wrap my mind around it. You’re probably surprised too, huh?” He looked down at his hands and smirked. “Nana’s a lot more trouble than he’s worth. You’ve seen him around here, haven’t you? He says he comes here once a week to visit his parents. You’ve probably heard him talking. He talks a lot with that obnoxious voice of his. He wants us to be best friends. If you told me last month I’d become best friends with someone like him, I would have laughed at you.”

A soft wind brushed against his neck like a gentle caress and it made a shiver run down the length of his spine. He looked up at her tombstone. “Right now, I think I could be best friends with him. I think it would be really easy.”

Gathering himself, he pressed his hands to his knees. “I know I don’t really ask favors from you… I know how you feel about favors and promises, but I think you can help me with this one. It’ll take some of your time, so bear with me, all right? It’s not that I don’t want you to look after me. I always want you to look after me.” He felt a lump in his throat as he thought about the brunet. “But–”

_Could you… look after him too? From where you are?_

“He’s a complete hazard to himself.” Jeno explained quickly. “I know his parents and grandparents are probably looking after him, but it just doesn’t… doesn’t seem like enough.” He exhaled sharply before a laugh left him. “Just drop in whenever you have spare time, okay? You’re probably going crazy up there, huh?” He grinned. “You’re my hero.”

_I miss you._

“Merry Christmas, mom.”

He stood up and trailed his fingers along the top of her stone once more and smiled.

_I love you._

 

* * *

 

The last few days were spent with either Lami and his father or the gang plus Donghyuck… though Donghyuck was quickly claiming a regular spot. The redhead was sarcastic and blunt and always on Mark’s back. It was easy to taunt Mark, but when Donghyuck was at it, he took it to a whole other level.

Donghyuck had charmed his friends almost as quickly as Jaemin had.

_Almost._

He thought back to yesterday morning when they all drove to Gimpo airport to see the redhead off. Jeno didn’t understand why he had to tag along, but Jaemin was adamant and as his best friend, _you have to be there_! He wanted his two best friends to get along, the brunet said as an explanation.

He figured it would be easier to do what Jaemin wanted rather than have to listen to his logic.

The roads were busy.

It was afternoon and people seemed to be rushing back home to make it to Christmas dinner. He drove his car along with traffic and wondered vaguely what the brunet was doing. Jaemin said Ten was going to spend Christmas with him. His uncle Hansol had taken the family to Hawaii the third day of Christmas break and had visited him briefly before taking off. Jeno wondered whether he should make sure he was okay. Jaemin didn’t exactly know this Ten person very well…

He exhaled slowly.

That was really none of his business. Jaemin could call him if he was in trouble. He seemed to be calling him for the most inconsequential reasons as of late anyway.

As the city moved by, he rested his arm against the driver’s window and waited impatiently for the cars ahead of him to move forward. He didn’t think the roads would be so busy. If he did, he would have opted to walk instead. It seemed far faster than the road’s progress.

Suddenly, from his peripherals, he caught sight of brown and turned his head so fast he almost got whiplash. It wasn’t Jaemin, but the boy _behind_ him was. Why was he walking alone? And with his head ducked down against the wind… Jeno scowled.

Jaemin was too far away to shout to, so he called him.

He watched as the boy checked his phone and picked up on the first ring. _“Jeno?”_

“Why are you walking by _yourself_ in the middle of _Seoul_ without a jacket on?” He growled angrily, seeing Jaemin whip his head back and forth to look for him. The brunet pressed his back against the storefront and looked like he was scaling the walls.

 _“How do you_ know _that?”_ Jaemin breathed into the phone. _“That’s so creepy, Jeno!”_

“I’m in the middle of traffic.” He explained sharply.

Jaemin seemed to see him because he dropped his arms, shoved his phone back into his pocket, and started running down the sidewalk. Inwardly, Jeno’s stomach dropped at how fast the other was running. If he wasn’t careful, he was going to face plant on the sidewalk again and the raven really didn’t want to spend his Christmas bandaging him. If Jeno was worried then, his worry quadrupled when Jaemin started to cross the street to get over to his car.

His heart almost stopped in his chest.

“Don’t you _ever_ do that again, do you hear me?” He growled at Jaemin the moment said male flopped into the passenger seat. “What were you _thinking_ crossing five lanes of traffic when it’s so fucking busy? Don’t you ever use that brain of yours? Idiot! You could have been _killed_!”

Jaemin was buckling his seatbelt before his hands stopped abruptly and his eyes flashed up to the raven’s. “I’m so sorry, Jeno.” He said quickly. “I forgot that your mom–”

Jeno turned away from the apologetic gaze and eased the gas when the traffic moved forward. “Just be careful.” He said sharply. “You said you wouldn’t be so reckless and not even a week goes by before you’re running headfirst into open traffic. You’re so stupid sometimes.”

The brunet’s voice was quiet with apology. “I was really excited to see you.”

It was six words, but they made a sharp heat start at the back of his neck. “Doesn’t matter.” Jeno grumbled darkly. “You could have waited until I brought the car around before you ran over here. Why are you by yourself? I thought you were spending the day with Ten?”

“I–it didn’t–” Jaemin stumbled over his words before he went silent.

It didn’t take Jeno long to put the pieces together. “He couldn’t make it.” He muttered quietly, feeling a rush of anger at the conclusion. Jaemin had been looking forward to spending Christmas with at least a family friend with his family all gone. Jeno gripped the steering wheel tighter. “He couldn’t make it.” He repeated angrily. “Right?”

“He tried!” Jaemin said quickly, turning in his seat to look at him. “He called me yesterday afternoon to tell me had had his first class tickets and all of his bags packed and that he’d come back to his hotel early after some dinner with one of his big stockholder clients or whatever but then…” He exhaled quickly. “There was a snow storm and he couldn’t get home. He said he would try to get out in time, but I told him not to. It’s… it’s too dangerous, you know? I’d rather him be safe than risk his health–his life–just to spend some time with me for Christmas.”

Jeno’s heart softened at those words.

Of course the brunet wouldn’t want to lose anybody else.

“Besides,” Jaemin shrugged, almost as if he was unaffected. “I know I’ll end up seeing him sometime during Christmas break. It doesn’t have to be on Christmas day.”

The raven let a moment of silence pass by before he dropped his anger entirely and replaced it with resignation. He couldn’t stay mad at the other for too long. “Where were you heading?”

“Dinner!” The brunet said with a grin. “I’m going to treat myself to some Chinese or sushi for Christmas!”

At this, Jeno shook his head, turning away from traffic to head down to his neighborhood. “You’re an idiot if you think I’m going to let you spend Christmas by yourself.” At Jaemin’s slack-jawed expression, he arched an eyebrow. “Fine, I’ll ask to be polite. Do you really want to spend Christmas by yourself in that empty hotel room of yours or do you want to spend it with me… and my family?”

Jaemin’s frown lifted into a grin. “I want to spend Christmas with you, of course.”

Jeno turned away from him at his words and focused once again on the road. “Then get those thoughts of Chinese food and sushi out of your head. We’re eating mom’s favorites tonight.”

“Okay.” The brunet replied softly and Jeno could hear the smile in his voice.

When he parked his car in the driveway and opened his door, he felt the other’s warm hand stop his. Inwardly, he sighed. He looked back impatiently only to see a shy, thankful smile on Jaemin’s face. “Thanks again, Jeno.”

He turned away. “Just don’t eat my house down to fill that black hole in your stomach.”

“You’re such a great best friend.”

_“We could be best friends, just you and me. Us against the world.”_

Even though Jaemin’s tone was dry at best, Jeno smiled.

 _Maybe they could be_.

 

**Author's Note:**

> (180119) deleted the epilogue chapter. will be uploading a new, lighter-themed one. probably longer too to show nomin's relationship progression.


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